Awake
by LunaBell08
Summary: There was no messing with the Fates. So when I died, I accepted it - not welcomed, accepted. Little did I know that dying was just the beginning - especially since I was tossed into the world of Bleach and stuck to an orange-haired Bambi with anger issues! Armed with nothing but paperclips and a 3-foot string, how can I survive?
1. One

A/N: I _really_ needed to get another anime fanfiction out there, since I've been consumed by the 'book world' for too long and losing my touch at this style of writing T_T;; It's also to helps give me more will to start on my other fanfiction RT (Vampire Knight), I've written a little, but not enough.

If anyone has any suggestion on a better summary (For the life of me, I can't figure out how to write it) please tell me! I will give you credit!

SO, I hope you enjoy, and to new viewers, I welcome you ^_^

Only Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended. All opinions and views of the characters may not be associated with the fanfiction and original authors and/or owners. It is for pure entertainment only and is not intended to be offensive or harmful in any way. If something does indeed bother you, you are asked to either grow a pair, suck it up, and enjoy the story, or kindly find something else to read.

* * *

**_Childhood Arc_**

AWAKE  
One

"There's an ancient Chinese myth about the Red Thread of Fate. It says that the Gods have tied a red thread around every one of our ankles, and attached it to all the people whose lives they are destined to touch. This thread may stretch, or tangle, but it will never break."  
-Jake Bohm, _Touch_

Many people say that before you die, you see your life flash before your eyes.

"LOOK OUT!"

_SCREECH!_

Well I'm here to tell you that from my experience, that simply wasn't true.

"SISSY, NO!"

_CRASH!_

Because when it's sudden, when that moment just sneaks up on you . . .

_"Someone call an ambulance!"_

_"Call 911!"_

You're gone.

* * *

x x x

* * *

Have you ever heard of the red strings of fate? It was an ancient Chinese myth - it is said that God tied a string around everyone, and connected it to others they are destined to interact with. Everything happens for a reason - from the route a butterfly decides to take, to the path a driver takes his car. We are all connected in more ways than one.

Coincidence was a word I never believed in.

Because I was one of the few people in the entire world who could see these strings. I knew the fate of everyone around me, except my own.

And it wasn't just strings. It involved patterns, numbers, shapes, colors and sizes of things. I would touch people and immediately know what kind of impact they would have on the future; how were they important? And what duty did I have to help make that happen?

Throughout my fourteen years, I've only been able to decipher just what certain things meant. And I wish I could explain to you clearly how this worked, but I can't; because I don't know. I guess it's just one of those things that will have to be shown and not explained.

So I'm being honest when I say that my death was accepted a lot more easily than most. I was confused at first - seeing my sister run in front of a bus when she wasn't supposed to die, but also noticing the small animal she saved wasn't supposed to die either. It took me a while to realize that _I_ was supposed to push _her _out of the way; that_ I _was supposed to be the one to get hit.

Poof!

My time was up.

My death was accepted. Not welcomed, _accepted_.

But it didn't mean the pain wasn't there.

Even in this lifeless form, this _'spiritual being' _that I had apparently become now, I still mourned for the loss of my life. I missed my parents, my friends, my sister . . . I was filled with sorrow for the fact that I was never going to have a first love, or experience the adventures of the world.

It was a lot to put on a fourteen year old.

I never expected to become a ghost though. Sure, I knew that there was some life force or energy out there that was held for you after death, but _this_?

At least I was calm about it.

"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?" I screamed while rubbing my head furiously.

. . . Okay, so maybe I wasn't _that_ calm about my situation. I'm fourteen! Cut me some slack! You can't expect someone my age - weird fate abilities or not - to know what to do in these situations, did you? I mean, it's not like they have an instruction manual for this kind of stuff! Besides, it's not like anyone can hear me anymore! I can yell all I wanted now!

I was in the hospital - where else was I supposed to go? My death had been called three hours ago, and my parents sat with hollow eyes next to my sister's hospital bed. I too sat with her.

The bed was still with my ghostly weight, and I stroked her dark hair with my transparent fingers and watched as the strands merely slipped through them. I couldn't touch her now, but it was the thought that counts. Her face looked so at peace now.

How will it change when she hears of my death? How many nights will she cry herself to sleep, turning over to see the bed next to her empty, forever?

It was like this all night. I asked Reed questions that she'll never be able to answer, I attempted to touch her tan cheek as I longed for the warmth to replace the coldness of my death. I wanted to see her open her eyes, I wanted her to gaze at me with those icy-blue orbs matching that we shared. I wanted to see the greyish color distortion that came with being a twin . . .

Twins.

We were twins.

What will it be like for her to look into my coffin and see her face, lifeless and cold, laying there? By then, it will be her wishing to see me open my eyes and see the same shared-quality that I too admired so much.

My mother refused to sleep, and every once in a while my father woke up and made his way to the vending machine outside to get her something to eat. She didn't take a bite of anything, of course. Whether it be the bag of chips or the Rice Krispies bar, they lay opened and abandoned on the bedside table.

" . . . What _am _I supposed to do now?" I asked myself for the hundred and tenth time that night.

I sighed again.

"Mrrreow,"

I snapped my head to the window.

"Mrrreow."

It was the cat Reed saved from before! I recognized it because of the unique grey pattern of its fur, and the golden bell that hung from its neck.

"Mrrreow!" it called out again. I tilted my head in confusion and reluctantly removed myself from my sister's side. It stared straight at me, it's icy blue eyes following my every move.

It could see me.

Of course it could. I nearly smacked myself in the head; cats can see the spirits of the deceased.

I should have wondered why the window was open. It was a cold snowy night and I'm sure the winter air wasn't welcome in a sick patient's room. But after everything that's happened, it was kind of the last thing on my mind.

"Hey kitty, what'ya doin' here?" I motioned for it to come closer, but it continued to stare. Oh how I wish I could touch it, to pick it up and bring it in from the cold. The ledge it sat on wasn't very big, it was barely large enough for its tiny behind to sit down upon.

But, as if it didn't want anything to do with me, the cat just stood up and walked along the edge, out of sight from the main view of the window. I was curious enough to stick my head out the window, just to see how it was going to get down. And when I did, I didn't feel the chill of the cold winter air brush past my face like I was supposed to. Like everything, it literally went right through me.

I laughed. The cat was gone! It was gone! I look away for a second, and it's gone!

Did it fall?

"Kitty?" I called out to it, looking below for any sign of the cat that may have fallen. If it did, I probably wouldn't be able to see it anyways, for its greyish fur would've blended into the snow.

I debated whether or not it was worth the 'energy' to go down and look. We were on the fifth floor, surly the stairs wouldn't be too much trouble. Or maybe I could phase through the floor? The elevator wasn't an option, considering the fact that I couldn't press any of the buttons.

_Why not just jump out the window?_ a little voice in my head asked. I had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea; I was already dead, and if my feet hovered above the ground like it did now, maybe I could fly!

I laughed aloud at this and shook my head.

Okay, so maybe I was thinking of just going out the window. But I had to see if the cat was okay! It can't die now after my sister saved it!

Thinking of my sister also made me laugh. _"Don't fall down the rabbit hole, Alice."_ she used to say whenever I was about to do something deemed as stupid. Ever since she read that damned book it became her 'life saying'.

Of course, this time it was almost literally.

So, jump or don't jump. There were no cons to this, since it would indeed test my theory on whether or not ghosts can fly.

Too bad I didn't really get a choice after that. Because I heard the cat again, followed by the chime of its bell. Something tugged on my throat - wait, what?

I backed up quickly, reaching up to see what was magical enough for me to _feel_.

A string.

I've told you before that I could see the red strings of fate. And with this ability comes great responsibility. But I was only fourteen, even with the knowledge of the happenings that went on in the world, I wasn't some wise, mystical being who gazed at the world in slight amusement.

So it came as a surprise (and raised a lot of questions) when I saw a red string tied around my neck. Normally the strings were tied on people's fingers, or their ankles. But never the neck.

Was this it? Was this string going to lead me to where I was supposed to go now? Did I get time to say a final goodbye to my sister?

It tugged at me again, and even though it didn't hurt, I still resisted it from stumbling me forward.

So the after-death was going to be by force then? No!

I couldn't allow it! No, no, no! At least let me say goodbye to my sister!

_Tug_

I pulled away.

_Tug_

I pulled harder.

_TUG_

No!

My feet, hovering just inches above the ground couldn't help me resist the final pull of the string. It brought me back toward the window, and with one final tug, I was falling.

_"Don't fall down the rabbit hole, Alice."_

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Ah!" the little boy yelped as the car drove by and splashed water all over his coat.

"Oh that careless driver!" The woman standing next to him muttered as she bent down, a handkerchief in hand. "Come here, are you alright Ichigo?"

"I'm fine," Ichigo said.

The woman merely sighed with a soft smile and began drying off his face. "Let me switch places with you and walk next to the streets so that doesn't happen again.

The boy grinned widely. "Nah! You don't have to do that, Mom. I'm the one with the raincoat on so I don't care if I get wet! Let me protect you from stuff like that, okay?"

His mother chuckled, the sound full like the chiming bells on a Christmas evening that could only make the boy smile even more. She wiped the dirty water off his other cheek. "What a brave boy! That's very sweet," she said, "But before you worry about protecting me, I think you should worry about protecting yourself from that Tatsuki."

Ichigo puffed out his cheeks. Oh that Tatsuki! She was always defeating him during their matches! "Hey, I won a point from her that last time!"

She stood up with another laugh. "There, you're all clean now. Let's go, and I'll walk on the street side this time."

With a sheepishly grin, Ichigo tugged lightly on his mother's skirt. "Hey Mom, can I . . . Can I hold your hand please?"

"Why of course you can!" She replied, holding out her hand for him to take.

He nearly jumped for joy as he held hands with her, the warmth of her skin contrasted nicely against the cold. After helping Ichigo put the hood of his yellow rain jacket over his head, the two were on their way.

They walked by the river like they always did, it was always Ichigo's favorite part of the walk. The river looked so beautiful when it was sunny, because sometimes, when it splashes, mini-rainbows would form in the air and sparkle before disappearing. When he asked his mother why that happened, she called it 'magic'.

It wasn't so beautiful today though. The extra water from the rain made it rush down its path so quickly, and since the sun hid firmly behind the clouds, there were no rainbows that day. But still, Ichigo admired the tiny waves it made as he walked.

Until he saw a girl standing on its edge.

He tilted his head in confusion, slowing his pace as he gazed at that little girl. She was wearing really weird clothes - the types of clothing he sees people wear during special festivals and events. In fact, his sisters wore pink and blue ones on those days too. And her hair was really short, black as night and cut just below her ears.

What was she doing there? Didn't she know that was dangerous? The one time Ichigo went down there, his mother yelled at him because he could possibly fall in!

"What is she doing?" he whispered to himself. Wait, was she about to jump? Oh no! He had to stop her!

Ichigo let go of his mother's hand without her noticing. "Wait! Stop!"

"Ichigo, no! Stop!"

But the boy didn't listen. He slid down that hill so fast and reached his hands out to grab the girl's shirt, only for it to slip straight through his fingers. He lost his footing and fell to the ground, and with a loud _thump!_ he crashed into the grass.

_So heavy,_ he wanted to cry out. _Why is it so . . . mom?_

Ichigo's eyes widened, seeing now that it was the body of his mother laying on top of him.

"Mom! Are you okay? Mom! MOM!"

No, no, no! What happened?! Why is she - how could she . . .?

He struggled to get out from under her, feeling the cold rain hit his face like ice. Red liquid splattered across the ground, though where it came from, he didn't know. He didn't know what happened, nor could he understand why. But after a few nudges to his mother's shoulder, and seeing that her body lay still, unmoving, he knew she was dead.

No! Why?! If this is really happening - if this isn't just a bad dream . . . how could he explain this to Karin and Yuzu? How could he tell his father that his own mother had died because of him?

He was just trying to save that girl! Ichigo's eyes widened and he searched anxiously for that girl he saw earlier, yet she was nowhere in sight.

"Please Mom, get up! Mommy!"

* * *

A/N: Mwahaha, and so the two worlds begin to clash! What shall happen now? Hmm? Review and you might find out sooner than later!

*ahem* Now, there may be questions about the main girl, I shall answer the majority of them right here:

The most important question, **Is this going to be one of those, real world girl goes into an anime world crossover fanfictions?** - Overdone, I know, but Yes it is. I seem to write a lot of these I guess xD But hey, to each his own. HOWEVER, there IS a DIFFERENCE between this fanfiction and others. I have yet to see the main protagonist from the real world be an actual ghost in the _Bleach_ world, AND, the character DOES NOT watch Bleach. She is not the biggest fan, and actually prefers _Naruto_. Lovely twist, eh? So she's not going to know every detail of this world as it happens.

**You didn't write what she looks like!** - Yes, I know. Her appearance will be described in the third chapter (I know thats not really how its done, but its the only place I could fit it without the air feeling more lame or cliche than it already is T_T;;)

**What is her name!?** - THAT my good friends, is going to be left out, and is left out, for a reason. You read the description, right? Well, for now you shall know her as Angel. Thats about it.

**Did you get the Red Threads of Fate from the TV show _Touch_? -** No. I didn't even discover this show until I looked up the quote on google. TV show quotes are going to be the opening for each chapter and represent the theme going on.

**Why did you rewrite the tragic scene between Ichigo and his Mom?** - I felt it necessary. Its like showing how the two worlds clashed and where this story is going to start. I changed some things for copyright reasons though. I also thought that the first half made the chapter a bit too short.

**Are you following along the anime or manga?** - I little bit of both I think; I say this because I'm going with at least most of the anime, and the wikipedia page I'm using for consult is going off the manga. I'm looking for episodes pertaining to Ichigo's younger years/flashbacks before the show started, and what I can't find, I rewrite with wiki.

**Just to make it clear, where in the timeline of _Bleach_ are you starting the story?** - A couple of days after Masaki's (Thats his mom's name, right?) death. It will follow along Ichigo growing up and how the girl's influence spread over him because of it.


	2. Two

A/N: I'm still a little iffy about the POV of this story, so I might be switching back and forth (Not every two paragraphs! Just like, twice in a chapter or so!).

"Speaking."  
_Thoughts_

_**Speacial Thanks To:**_

**Abby-Flourite**

**Bookgal7**

Thank you two so much for your reviews! :)

* * *

AWAKE  
Two

"If your mom dies, you'll feel a lot of things. First, you'll feel like you could have done more to help her, but that's not true. You did everything you could. It won't feel that way but . . . remember me telling you this: You did everything you could, and it'll hurt every time you think of her. And over time it will hurt less and less. And eventually you'll remember her and it will only hurt a little."  
- Christina Yang_, Grey's Anatomy_

I remember the exact order of things I had seen before I died.

First was my sister, Reed. The image of her running in front of a speeding bus wasn't something that could easily be forgotten.

Second, as if the world stopped for a just a quick moment, was a book that fell out of the bag I dropped. Not just any book - a manga book.

It was a Christmas present I bought two hours before then for Reed. It was the first volume of some series she called _Bleach_ that she had been looking for since the beginning of time. I didn't know much about the series (I was a _Naruto_ fan), except for the fact that it was about a boy who could see ghosts and became some sort of grim reaper type thing.

I think it would have been better if my sister was the last thing I had seen before I departed the living. Maybe then I would still be with her, watching her like I was supposed to.

But no. Fate had other plans for me. Either that, or I was going into some sort of ghost-insanity - some, post-traumatic disorder that was interfering with the electric waves of my brain after death.

Because now I sat in a world that shouldn't even exist!

It's been two hours now since I have been in this world. One hour and thirty three minutes since I have been watching Ichigo Kurosaki walk around in circles in front of a river. One hour since I fully realized what kind of situation I was in.

I was in the world of _Bleach_. As weird as that sounds (Why call it _Bleach_? Was there no other name the author could come up with?) I was . . . in an anime world. Simple as that. No complicated whys or hows, I was just _here_ . . .

And I nearly freaked out! I hid behind a tree and closed my eyes as if that would make things better (my logic was, I can't see it, it's not there . . .) and waited to hear normal noises that had to do with the _real_ world, _my _world and _no cartoon characters_.

However, I had to consider the fact that I am still dead, transparent, and that no one could see me. So following along the possibility that I was crazy and/or dreaming, I had to remain calm.

Which is currently making me feel like a creeper because I've been watching a little boy walk around in circles for an hour and a half . . .

It was sad, to be honest. He looked so . . . _broken_. Like he had just lost something important to him and was waiting here for it to come back. I looked up and down the small road, noticing he had no parent in sight.

Was he really here by himself? Where were his parents? Was this like the anime _Naruto_, and the main boy was orphaned?

Oh well.

I had to say, if he was just here for the scenery, I wouldn't blame him. Grass grew on the hill that dipped down on the side of the road, and ended flat with a river that flowed gently down its own path. The blue sky and shining sun reflected off its waves.

I sat in the grass, observing the boy known as Ichigo Kurosaki. I could tell he was very . . . different. More special than others would be - even in my world. I was surprised that I still kept my ability of _sight_ even after my death, though it took a lot more concentration to understand just what I was seeing than normal.

Ichigo stopped for a moment, the solemn expression on his face never leaving, and kneeled down in the grass. I had no doubt he was tired.

I looked back out to the river, feeling fatigue but not exactly tired. My mind was going a million miles an hour.

"Who are you?" A voice asked. I jumped from the sudden noise and nearly screamed as a result. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't even hear anyone come up to me!

I looked up to see the boy with orange spikey hair, Ichigo Kurosaki.

"What?" I asked stupidly. Ichigo had a small scowl on his face.

"You've been sitting here forever now, what are you doing here?"

Like I was meant to be in this world, a large sweatdrop hovered above my head. It was weird seeing such a face on a nine year old.

_So he _can _see spirits. Huh, what a funny guy_.

I stared at the boy for a minute, opening my mouth and then closing it, unsure of how to answer.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I shot back, though feeling a bit rude about it afterwards. "It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking people questions. Why are you walking around here by yourself? Where are your parents?"

I must've said something wrong, because Ichigo angrily puffed out his cheeks and stomped his foot on the ground.

"Th-that's . . . That's none of your business!" He shouted before turning around and running off down the road.

"W-wait!" I called out, but he was already out of reach.

"Well . . ." I sighed, rubbing my head. "That didn't go so well,"

I considered going after him, just to make sure he wouldn't get lost or something. But eventually I just fell to the ground, sprawled out beneath the sky. I knew he'd be fine. I'll just wait here until something happens.

* * *

x x x

* * *

The next day came at a very slow pace. Other than a couple of children running around the grass when they passed by, and then getting yelled at by their parents about how dangerous that was, nothing really happened.

When night fell, I attempted to sleep or try to wake up from this crazy dream. Come to find out, that was impossible for me too. You know the phrase, "You can sleep when you're dead"? Well, you better enjoy sleep while you can, because apparently the dead don't sleep. Close your eyes and think a lot, maybe, but sleep is apparently a no-no.

So I just laid there, bored out of my mind and wandering if I should just get up and explore the city.

_. . . Nah._

I've been on my feet for hours before dying. This was a good time to relax.

"Have you noticed that kid has been doing this for almost a week now?"

"So sad, he's been skipping school just to come here. Does his father know?"

"Best not to get involved, let's just leave."

I popped on eye open and tilted my head back to watch two middle-aged ladies walk by. Both of them stared in one direction before scurrying off.

"What's going on?" I asked myself before pushing off the ground. I looked back to where Ichigo was the day before and, low-and-behold, there he was, walking around in circles again. Back and forth, back and forth. I got dizzy just from watching.

I noticed that every once in a while he would kneel down into the grass, as if he were tired, and then stand back up again to walk. I tilted my head, as if that would help me understand why he was doing this.

He ignored my presence completely (rude) and did this, like yesterday, for the rest of the day. I considered going up to talk to him, see if I could do anything to help. If those ladies were talking about Ichigo, and how he's been doing this for nearly a week, surly he was looking for something, or waiting for something.

Or someone.

But then something told me that I shouldn't do anything, at least, not yet. The boy must have been spoken to by lots of people as to why he's been walking by this river for hours on end, I don't think a total stranger like me could do anything different.

And so, after a day of being ignored, night came once again, and he walked to what I assumed was home.

This continued for three more days.

He would come back to the river, walk around, ignore my presence, walk on the road, walk back down to the grass, and then go home when night fell.

I was starting to get irritated by the lack of communication with . . . well, anyone. I wish I could say I was uncomfortable with staying in the same area for three days straight, but pain, hunger, and lack of energy was something I never got to feel anymore.

I did discover something more interesting during those three days of absolute nothing. It's not like I'm made out of air now; it was like I had the power intangibility (The power to move through solid objects) - only, it was permanently activated. It meant that I could even walk on air, or fly (nice!). It was all instinct that kept me from falling through the floor, and it even explained why I would hover above the ground a couple of inches most of the time.

So if I could do that with my entire body, I could make my mind have a _sense_ that I was touching something, and not pass through. It wasn't much, but it's nice to know that I can lean on a wall and know that I won't fall right through it, or fly into a tree and sit on a branch.

Which I will admit, was pretty cool.

And fun.

Okay, so _maybe_ I wasn't just sitting in the grass all day in night. I was experimenting with what my limits as a spirit was - sue me! I wish I could just walk around already _knowing_ half of this stuff. It would save a lot of time.

But then again, it gave me something to do.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Hey kid, watch where you're going!" Someone shouted. The fifth day I was here seemed to go by normally until now.

A man with a balding head and sunglasses scowled at the little girl shaking in front of him. Her hair was a dark brown, and was up in high pigtails ending just above her shoulders. She wore a blue and white sundress, with a pink backpack hanging on her shoulders.

The man rubbed his leg - all too dramatically, I shall say - and instantly grabbed the girl by the collar of her dress.

"Hey!" I yelled, running up to see what exactly was going on.

The man didn't hear me - of course he didn't! - and continued shaking the tiny girl with his hand.

"You bumped into me! How are you going to pay for that, you little brat? Didn't you mother teach you manners?" He spat. I wanted to do something, anything! But I couldn't. during a moment of stupidity I attempted to grab the man's wrist, only to have my hand go straight through him.

_Idiot!_ I seethed, looking worriedly at the scared little girl who couldn't see me either.

The man glared at her as she shook from fear, and then a howl of pain erupted from his throat. He dropped the girl to the ground and brought his knee to his chest, holding his shin with both of his hands.

I floated a foot back from surprise.

"What the hell, you brat!" the man shouted.

"Bullies like you make me sick!"

That voice . . .

I turned in panic, only to see Ichigo hold his hand out for the little girl to grab.

"I'm going to get you, you little brat!" The man shouted again. He steadied himself on the ground, and, completely forgetting about the girl, ran straight towards Ichigo.

"Run, Ichigo!" I yelled. He didn't need to be told twice. With a triumphant smirk, Ichigo ran in the opposite direction of his home. I couldn't help but follow, just to make sure he would make it out okay.

The chase didn't last long. Ichigo and I ran, with the little boy running as fast as his little legs would push him off the ground. I flew right behind him, looking back occasionally to see how close the older man got. Eventually he started slowing down, and after Ichigo and I turned a few corners, we finally lost him. I could only hope the little girl managed to get home safely.

Ichigo was bent over, using his arms for support against his legs and trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay, kid?" I asked, landing my feet back on the ground. Ichigo merely smirked.

"Tch, I'm fine!" he said, looking at me with fierce eyes.

I couldn't help it - I laughed!

"What's so funny!" Ichigo asked, a red stress mark popping up from his hair.

"Nothing, nothing~!" I giggled, waving my hand in front of his face. I continued to laugh as Ichigo stubbornly waved his arms around and kept asking what I was laughing about.

He just looked so serious right there! More alive and amused now than I've ever seen him! And the way he was looking now -

I busted into another fit of laughter, which only made Ichigo angrier and stomp his foot childishly on the ground - the same way he did the last time we spoke.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked angrily, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

I don't know if I was just losing it because I was finally speaking to someone, or if it was because my 'hilarious meter' shot through the rockets at this moment, but I actually felt _happy_, _relieved_. I was happy Ichigo was okay, and relieved that he didn't get hurt.

"Oh kid, I haven't laughed like this in a long time." I managed to spit out between laughs.

Ichigo puffed out his cheeks again, and if I weren't a dead, tears would be sprawling from eyes right about now.

"My name is not Kid!" He roared with another stomp of his foot. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, and don't you forget it!"

I attempted to calm my laughter and tone it down to tear-jerking giggles.

This might not be so bad after all.


	3. Three

A/N: There are going to be little time-skips in and between the chapters, mainly because every detail of the day or events isn't really necessary.

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Bookgal7**: Thank you, I hope I keep doing an awesome job lol To be honest the little girl wasn't really anybody important (Unless I come up with something later . . .) She was mainly used for the little icebreaker between Ichigo and the main character.

**Blackenflames:** Thank you soooo much x3 I'm working on RT! I promise! This is the first step to getting me back on my feet! I'm so happy you like the story so far!

**Kitty-Wolf-Chan:** Deja vu? o.O Odd, lol I love your encouragement for my writing and I'm glad you enjoy reviewing my fanfictions so much :) I'm really honored to hear so!

**Duck the Insomniac Panda: **Unique is what I was going for ^_^ My goal is to be known as this writer who takes the old ideas (real world crossovers for example) and put a new type of twist in it. I'm extremely happy to have made it that far now!

**Abby-Flourite:** Ahh~! Thank you so much x3 I hope you enjoy this story more as it goes on!

* * *

AWAKE  
Three

"It's hard when you miss people. But, you know, if you miss them it means you were lucky. It means you had someone special in your life, someone worth missing."  
-Nathan Scott, _One Tree Hill_

Ichigo sat down next to me in the grass today.

After yesterday's incident, Ichigo's father ran to him in a panic when we arrived back at the river. Apparently one of Ichigo's classmates had seen what had happened and ran to get help.

I don't know what compelled me to do it, but as soon as his father reached us, I hid behind nearest utility pole across the street. The man was scolding Ichigo about his carelessness, and as soon as he stopped to take a breath, Ichigo stubbornly folded his arms and puffed out his cheeks - a habit I'm beginning to see he does when he gets angry.

"I wasn't alone!" He finally said in his defense. "There was this other girl here too! She's right - Hey, where'd she go?" he turned, only to find the spot I once occupied was empty.

I sighed at the memory. Hopefully, Ichigo wouldn't ask why I disappeared. I could feel that the boy didn't know I was even a spirit, and his father couldn't see me, which was weird.

Now that I had a closer look, Ichigo did have a strong aura around him - at least, more than any normal child at the moment. It was more than anything I had ever seen! The strings connected to him were strong, thick. The 'material' it was made out of was a lot different than most I've seen.

The strings . . .

I looked down at his hands as he sat silently next to me. A broken string tied around his right middle finger lay limp, as if it had been cut.*

"You lost someone," I observed with a curious tone.

Ichigo's hand balled into a fist, tugging the grass from its roots and splitting in between his fingers. He bit his lip, and glared hatefully at the river at the bottom of the hill.

I didn't press it. I don't know who he lost, why or how. But it was recent. The wound was still fresh - hell, I knew how he felt. The only difference is I'm the one on the other side.

I leaned back on my hands and looked into the sky. "I lost someone recently too,"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ichigo slightly perk up in interest.

"I actually lost a lot of people recently. People I love and will probably never see again. But one of them was my twin sister."

Ichigo pursed his lips and brought his knees up to his chest. He folded his arms around them and rested his chin onto his knee. "What happened to them?" he asked.

I shrugged, tilting my head as I thought of how to answer. "Let's just say . . . something really bad happened,"

He stayed silent for a while; looking straight ahead and watching the waves of the river pass by. He shifted into a more comfortable sitting position and leaned over to pluck at the grass once more.

"What was she like?"

"Hm?" I looked at him, confused.

"Your sister. Was she a really important person to you?"

I gave a soft smile at the thought of what Reed was like, and was almost dazed at the memory of our time together. "Reed was very wild and energetic. A lot more than me, actually. I was actually the quietest one between the two of us." I tilted my head to the other side as I tried to remember. It felt as if those memories were so long ago . . .

"Her name?" Ichigo asked.

"Her name was . . . is Reed." He didn't notice my change of words. I let out an unnecessary breath I didn't know I was holding.

Ichigo didn't say anything for a long while, and for a moment I wondered if the conversation for the day was over.

"How do you handle it, not being able to see her anymore? How does someone handle . . . losing someone close to them?"

The question caught me off guard. And as I looked at Ichigo, who continued to find the ground a lot more interesting than anything else, I finally realized that the nine year old really didn't know how he was supposed to feel.

"Well, there are two different answers to those questions," Spreading my legs out in front of me, I leaned back into the grass and used my elbows as support.

"First, how you handle losing someone close to you is all up to you. Your reaction doesn't have to be forced; you shouldn't be obligated to feel sad or grief. However you feel is how you _should _feel. It's a lie to yourself and to others by trying to 'stay strong' when facing a loss, and it's not showing weakness either.

"When I lost Reed, I was almost in shock. I was angry. I kept thinking about how we were never going to do things together anymore; how we were never going to play pranks on our teachers and become each other's 'alibi', or how we were never going to race to the park and see who can reach the highest swing first. We were identical twins. How horrible could it be for someone to look into a coffin and see their own face, laying cold and still - forever un-moving?"

My voice croaked at the end, and I took another unnecessary breath to calm myself. The words just flowed out of my mouth without my control. And saying this out loud, actually hearing myself say that no, I was not okay with my death, and that I felt horrible for leaving my sister behind, I had to shake my head to keep myself from getting overwhelmed.

I wasn't truly thinking about the fact that I _died_. I tried to pass it off as something as unavoidable, as something that was 'meant to be' and that I should just deal with it. But now . . .

"I felt so alone when I lost her."

Ichigo was looking back at me now. His mouth was tilted down into a frown, but his eyes examined me closely, taking in my words with his tiny little brain.

Realization hit me with who I was talking to and I suddenly shook my head and waved my hands in front of me.

"Sorry, sorry, that's a bit much for someone so young; you probably have no idea what I'm talking about! Please forget what I said!" I sputtered stupidly.

The boy merely tilted his head curiously and dusted off his hands. "When I was five, my father told me that my name meant, 'He who protects'. And now, now I just wanted to protect my mom. I have sisters too, and I swore that I would protect them too. But I failed them. I failed them and let my mother die as she tried to protect _me_, and I couldn't do anything about it."

I looked at him in surprise for two reasons: One, because he was actually going to talk to me; and two, because he had sisters that I didn't even know he had.

Jeesh, I couldn't have been sent to the world of _Naruto_? I mean, really, at least than I could know what was going on around me.

"You can't blame yourself, Ichigo." I sighed. I've been doing that a lot recently. "And if you ask me, I don't think wandering around here is going to make things better. If she died protecting you, I'm sure that wherever she is, she's happy. Because you're still alive."

Puffing out his cheeks, Ichigo gave me a look with eyes burning fiercly with an intense emotion. He opened his mouth, as if he were about to say something in protest, and then shut it. This continued a few more time before he found the grass more interesting to look at again. But from the look on his face, I could tell he was thinking hard about what I said.

With a small smile, I laid back into the grass.

"It's a beautiful day to be alive, isn't it?"

* * *

x x x

* * *

"I-I don't think this is a good idea . . ." I stuttered while following Ichigo down the road.

"It'll be fine!" Ichigo assured. When we finally reached his house he opened the door with a spare key under the matt and walked inside. "You don't have a place to stay, right? My Dad should be fine with it."

How this happened, I wasn't sure. One minute we were talking, and the next Ichigo was convincing me to stay at his house for a while. This nine year old was letting a total stranger stay with him - if this were a different situation, I would have been worried about the consent of his dad! But considering the fact that he couldn't even _see_ me was the problem . . .

"Ichigo . . ." I began to protest.

He waved me off. "It's fine, it's fine," he assured.

We reached his house, and when I gazed at the building I was surprised to find the words, _Kurosaki Clinic_ plastered on a big sign above the door.

"Y-You live _here_?" I stuttered through surprise. "Is your dad a doctor?!"

That was news . . .

Ichigo beamed a small, proud smile up at me. "Yup! My father can do everything here, except for major surgeries. Then we have to have the patients transferred to a bigger hospital."

"Wow," I whispered. So the boy can see the ghosts, _and_ his family owns a clinic?

That was news.

* * *

x x x

* * *

The air inside the house was hard to even walk through. It was so tense and _hollow_. The death of a loved one hung heavily from above and I had to keep myself from nervously shaking at the aura. I fidgeted nervously, bumping my two wrists together as I followed Ichigo into the kitchen.

"Ichigo . . ." I whispered, even though no one but him could hear me. "I think there's something you need to know . . ."

I need to tell him I'm a ghost. I needed to tell him that I was fine hanging around outside of his home, and he needed to know that no one else could see me! But how do you say such things to a little boy his age?

But what's worse, is what is Ichigo going to do when his father tells him that I'm not even there? Will he be angry? Will his father think Ichigo has finally lost it and is suffering from some mental trauma after his mother's death?

Inside the kitchen, a man was sitting at the table. He had a muscular build, with dark, spikey hair and brown eyes. His mouth was turned into a small frown, and he was currently scanning through some papers that were scattered on the table. He had a white lab-coat on and a name tag reading _Kurosaki Isshin_.

"Dad, could a friend of mine stay here for a little while?" Ichigo asked suddenly.

I nearly smashed my face into the wall. And it was only because I knew I would just go right through it that I face-palmed instead.

_His dad is going to think his son is a _loon_._ I rubbed my head in irritation and backed up into the doorway of the kitchen.

Mr. Kurosaki turned to look at Ichigo, rubbing his tired eyes in the process.

"Who?" he asked with a yawn. Ichigo pointed at me and I ducked my head.

"He can't see me, Ichigo," I sighed sadly. He either didn't hear me, or didn't seem to care.

Mr. Kurosaki looked at the space I was in. "Where? I don't see anyone." he said. I pursed my lips.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo angrily puffed his cheeks. "She's right there!"

His father sighed and set the papers down. He rubbed his head and I took a step back.

And then he started laughing.

"Eh?" I narrowed my eyes, confused.

"Why are you laughing?" Ichigo pouted, stomping his foot. "You see her right there, don't you!?"

I blinked twice, wondering what on earth this man could be laughing about.

Scooting back into his chair, Mr. Kurosaki gave a large grin - something that, though brightened up his face - didn't seem to work well with his tired eyes. He rubbed Ichigo's head, earning a shout of protest from said boy, and laughed again.

"Sure, sure. Your friend can stay."

Ichigo smiled at me and ran to my side. "Thanks, Dad!"

"He's insane!" I exclaimed in surprise. No, he can't see me though! and I know this because he was looking in the space next to Ichigo _on the other side_!

"What's your friends name?" his father asked.

Ichigo opened his mouth to proudly announce, before looking dumbfounded and giving me a look.

_'What _is _your name?'_ his face read. I face-palmed, also noticing Mr. Kurosaki quickly averting his gaze to where I really stood before Ichigo could notice.

Seriously, this kid invites a total stranger to stay at his house and doesn't even get a name? Then again, I never properly introduced myself . . .

I probably took too long to answer while sorting through my thoughts, because as soon as I started saying, "My name is -"

Ichigo opened his big mouth and rocked back on his feet. "Angel."

I blinked. "What?"

"Well, its nice to meet you, Angel." Mr. Kurosaki said to what he should know as _air_!

"That's not my name!" I squeaked. Does he think Ichigo has an imaginary friend now? The kid ignored me and started running off.

"Come on, Angel! I'll show you my room!"

"W-Wait!" I called and floated quickly behind him. "Don't go naming me whatever you like! ICHIGO!"

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Aren't you a little hot? It's pretty warm in the house."

Ichigo's room was a descent size, with a closet, desk, and bed on each wall. He had just gotten out of the bath and into his pajamas, and was now rubbing his hair with a towel while staring at me curiously. I sat in the pulled out chair at his desk and started rubbing my wrists together again - it was a nervous habit I did when I didn't know what I should do.

"What do you mean?" I asked, halting my hands, Ichigo tilted his head.

"Nothing really, it's just that . . . you could hang up your hoodie on the door over there" - he pointed at his closet - "if you want."

_Oh_. My clothes. I hadn't even looked in a mirror since I died. It was surprisingly freed from any blood stains and road-marks from the accident. I could only be grateful for that, since it would prevent Ichigo from asking any questions and wouldn't scare him.

Apparently I was wearing what I would be wearing for the rest of my undead life, assuming I couldn't change into other clothes because I doubt there's very many ghosts clothing shops around.

I remember putting on the dark red hoodie my mother gave me as an early Christmas present this year, with a black v-neck tank underneath. Then there were the red and black-striped fingerless gloves my sister gave me as a birthday present. Around my wrist was a single bracelet she gave me from her trip to Disneyworld with her chorus class, with flat, round brown beads sprouting out from the larger white one.

My worn out blue-jeans had a tear in one knee, and large, silent headphones lay limp on my neck.

This was the only thing I found odd. If I was keeping everything I had on before I died, wouldn't that mean I could play on my iPod?

_Crap_, I sighed and rubbed my head, annoyed. _Left it in the car to charge._

I tugged at the silver-grey headphones hanging around my neck. _They're just useless decoration now._

"Are you okay?" Ichigo snapped me out of my thoughts. I shook my head and smiled.

"I'm fine," I assured. "I get cold easily, so I'll keep my hoodie on for now."

He nodded in understanding. I bit my lip and looked at the few pictures of his family tacked on the wall. One was of the entire family, seeming to be on a picnic in the park. I could see his younger sisters running around a lake in a chase, with Ichigo more near the camera and taking a bite out of a Jell-O filled spoon his mother held out for him. I guessed the father was taking the picture because of his absence.

"We took that last year," Ichigo muttered sadly as he looked at the picture I was admiring.

"Your mother is beautiful."

"Thanks."

He hopped off his bed and took off the tack holding the picture to the wall. He then pointed to the girl with short black hair.

"That's my sister Karin!" he exclaimed with another proud smile. It was nice to seem the solomn expression leave his face.

"And this one," He pointed to the other little girl with light brown hair. "Is my younger sister Yuzu. They're fraternal twins."

"Wow," I giggled. "You're all so cute! How old are they?"

And thus, I spent the rest of the hour listening to Ichigo tell me about his sisters. This led to him excitedly telling me about that particular day at the park - when he spilt milk all over his father's new shoes, and when Karin scraped her knee after tripping over a rock in the shape of a chicken's head.

I listened carefully, wondering how in the world that dejected little boy walking by the river had turned into this cheerful-smiling Bambi.

When Ichigo's eyes began drooping and his speech began to slur, he was already lying in bed. I hopped off the seat and kneeled next to him.

"Alrighty Champ," I whispered, wishing I could tuck him in bed better. "You have a good night, okay?"

His half-lidded puppy dog eyes peeked out at me from under the covers as he reached out for my hand. I was heartbroken when it went straight through. Hopefully Ichigo didn't notice.

"Are you leaving?" he whimpered. I pursed my lips, wondering just how much this little boy really hurt inside and shook my head.

"No. No I'll be right here until you fall asleep."

He sighed in relief, his hand still reached out from under the covers for mine. When I saw that he was slowly drifting, I hovered my hand over his.

He slurred, slowly shifting. "Promise you'll stay here?"

"I promise."

* * *

A/N: Whew, *wipes forehead* Done with that chap! What did you think? Was the main character to sappy? Did Ichigo as a kid seem too much out of character (I know he's supposed to be a strongly-stubborn and short-tempered little boy, but hey, they have their moments, haha)

Tell me your opinions in your reviews! Please? PLEASE?

*BIG PUPPY DOG EYES*

**Some Fun Facts:**

**-** The strings and their meanings on different things with different people has been determined by the author. The right hand actually has its own significant meaning; it is the creative and dynamic aspect of giving, sharing, creating, the qualities associated with any particular finger.  
-With the above, the middle finger has the qualities of love of beauty, creativity, expression of self, and relationship with others


	4. Four

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Bookgal7: ** Oh my gosh! Are you pyschic? That was actually a lot of what I was going to do! O.O Well, except the battle between Tatsuki and Ichigo part xD That would be fun! Thank you for your suggestion!

**Blackenflames: **xD I'm supposed to be doing my schoolwork too but I kind of . . . forgot hahaha

* * *

AWAKE  
Four

"As long as you live in the past, you'll never find your future."  
- Rumplestiltskin_, Once Upon a Time_

He woke up with a back ache.

Leaning over with his face flat against the table, Isshin stretched his arms ahead of him and yawned.

_Must have fallen asleep . . ._ He internally groaned as he sat up on the kitchen chair and cracked his back. Something seemed to slip over his shoulders, and with a tired glance, he looked over to see a faded black blanket.

Now how did that get there? he asked himself. He looked at his watch and gave another sigh. It was morning. No doubt, Ichigo covered him with the blanket and left before anybody woke up. Possibly an idea from his new 'friend' he made yesterday?

Isshin stretched his limbs once more before standing up and cracking his neck.

* * *

x x x

* * *

It was nice to know the wind could have some effect on the spirits of the deceased. Though I didn't feel any discomfort from any hot weather (discomfort of any kind was gone now), the cool breeze felt nice against my skin. But I was glad I had cut my hair a week before the accident; otherwise it would have been whipping wildly around my face. My hair was a dark raven black, barely brushing against my ears in spikey layers, with an x-shaped hairclip on the side of my bangs and a medium apple-charm in the middle of it.

I was happy that I had small objects to entertain myself with since I had no iPod and a pair of useless headphones around my neck. I was bored out of my mind last night, and after digging around in my pockets I found some string, paperclips, bobby pins and a few rubber bands. That didn't include the candy wrappers and random coins I found to have no use for.

As if to show myself some irony, I had taken the fairly long piece of string and began weaving them through my fingers.

"Don't you have school?" I asked Ichigo as we trudged down the long road. The boy shrugged, his dark blue backpack sagging off his shoulders like it always did.

We were heading back to the river. I shouldn't have been surprised. But what threw me off today was Ichigo's attitude. He nearly stomped his feet down the road as we walked - at the crack of dawn thank you very much! - with a sort of scowl on his face.

"Ichigo, what do you think you'll accomplish by going down to the river every day, huh?"

He didn't answer. Instead he just trudged along faster. I secretly floated off the ground and continued to follow behind.

"Did something happen? You don't seem to be in a very good mood this morning."

Ichigo stopped in his tracks, his hands tightening around the straps of his backpack. I halted behind him and drifted back to the ground.

"You're not real . . . are you?" His voice was so soft, I would have missed it if I hadn't paid attention.

I pursed my lips, rubbing my head to figure out what to say. "What do you mean? Of course I'm real!"

It was the truth.

"Well, yeah. You're real. But . . . No one else can see you, can they?"

I gave another deep sigh and made my way to kneel in front of him. "What brought this all of a sudden?" I avoided the question without meaning to. Ichigo's frown deepened and he gave me an angry look.

No, it wasn't angry. More like he didn't know what to make of me. He then held out his hand, almost like he was going to touch my cheek, and then swiped it straight through my face.

His fist clenched as he looked at me, tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. I opened my mouth, but with nothing to say I closed it again.

"So I wasn't crazy," he whispered, and then unclenched his fist to gaze at the palm of his hand. "I tried touching your hand yesterday, but I thought it was my imagination! _Are _you just part of my imagination?"

I bit my lip and rubbed my head. "No, sweetheart. I really am here. But you're the only one who can see me."

"What do you mean only I can see you?"

Wondering how I should go about this, I stood up on my feet and pocketed the string. How do you tell a boy that he's seeing dead people? I thought Ichigo could see spirits since he could remember? Does he know what he's seeing when he looks at one of us? Or is it just that . . . he really couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead?

I tilted my head towards the direction we were going, down the road that lead to the river.

"Come. Let me explain."

* * *

x x x

* * *

"I knew there was something wrong with me."

"There is _nothing_ wrong with you." I scolded. We sat down on the cement steps leading down the hill to the river. Ichigo's face was twisted in what looked to be some kind of confusion.

"So . . . you're dead? Is that what you meant when you told me you had lost a lot of your loved ones?"

I nodded. For a nine year old, this kid caught on pretty fast.

"Then why didn't you just stay with them?" and then he shot his head up and held his hands up in defense. "Not that I don't like you! It would . . . It would just make a lot of sense for you to watch over them or something . . ."

I frowned. It's not like I could tell him my family was in a whole other world - a world that showed his life as an anime show no less. "My situation is kind of . . . complicated." I finally said.

"How is it complicated? If you can't be with them, then aren't you supposed to pass on or something?"

"I-I . . . I don't really know how to explain the why's to you Ichigo." I breathed. "I don't think it's that simple."

"Then why can I see spirits like you? Why _me_?"

"I don't know." I sighed for the millionth time that day. Maybe if I watched this show like my sister I would, but I didn't. I didn't know anything. All I knew was that, like the character Naruto in his own show, he was going to save a lot of people; he would go on wild adventures and help those in need. He was special and would really make an impact on the world around him.

Ichigo was silent through my thoughts and stared out at the river ahead. One minute passed, then two. Finally he looked back up at me, his eyes sort of . . . lost.

"If I really can see spirits . . ." he began, "Then why haven't I been able to see my mom?"

I was stumped. How could I answer that? Even I didn't know why Ichigo's mother never showed up after she died. A good-bye would have been nice at the very least. Is it because she didn't want to show up? Or did something else happen?

"Ichigo, can I tell you a secret?" It was a quick impulse to change the subject. I didn't even of what I was saying.

"What is it?" Either way, it was perfect. It wouldn't hurt to tell him, would it?

"I kind of have a special ability too," I grinned at his confused expression. "It's not much, but it is something pretty cool."

He looked at me curiously to continue. "Have you ever heard of the Red Strings of Fate?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No."

I bit my bottom lip. How to explain? "Well, there's this ancient myth that says everyone is connected with something called this red string of fate. It connects you, me, and everyone else to everyone they are destined to touch. It can stretch or tangle, but it will never break."

"Okay . . ."

I scratched my cheek, wondering how else to go on. "Well, normal people can't see them - not even you, but they're there."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Ichigo asked. I smiled.

"I actually have the ability to see these strings. Only thirty-five other people in the entire world can see them. And with these abilities, I can sort of see people's fate. And if something goes wrong, it's my job to fix it."

Ichigo smiled. "Wow! Really?"

"Yup! Here, let me show you," I looked at Ichigo in concentration. My eyes slightly burned for a few seconds before my vision was clouded over with red lines criss-crossing over every image. I tilted my head, slowly searching for a specific string. I grinned when I found it and carefully reached up to clasp it between my thumb and forefinger.

Slowly, I brought it down ever so carefully in front of Ichigo's face. I pursed my lips, and with a gasp of surprise, his eyes widened.

"Is that . . .?"

I smiled, and with a nod I motioned for him to hold out his hand. Though it was very faint, Ichigo could now see the thin line I had in my fingers. And like many of the other strings connected to Ichigo's body, it was a lot thicker than normal.

"This," I said while setting it gently down into his palm. "Is the string that connects _us_ together."

The string gradually began to appear, and after a short three seconds Ichigo could see and feel the string tied around his ring finger, also leading back up to mine.

I furrowed my brows. The placement of the strings between us was odd. The ring finger stood for strong relationship between two people. In fact, it was the finger that held the fewest threads of fate on anyone. Were we meant to have a strong bond between us in the near future? Was I really going to mean that much to Ichigo?

I let it go for now, instead giggling at the look of awe in the boy's face. I playfully tugged on the string around my finger and laughed when he jumped.

"I felt that!" He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes as the string slowly disappeared and sat back against the steps.

"With this string alone, and if I concentrate hard enough, I can find you anywhere. So if we get seperated you'll never get lost."

"So . . . You won't ever leave me? You'll stay here?" he asked.

I giggled and shook my head. "Only if you don't mind me hangin' around a little longer."

I don't know why, but I think we were both just fine with that.

"Ichigo!" A voice called out from down the road. Ichigo and I turned to see a tall man and two little girl's walking this way, and from the pictures in his room, I knew almost immediately that it was Ichigo's family.

Ichigo waved, confused as to why his family was here.

Yuzu puffed out her cheeks, her eyes brimming with tears much like her brother and scowled.

"Dad, Yuzu, Karin, what are you doing here? Why are you upset?" Ichigo asked. Yuzu stomped her foot (I sweat dropped, vaguely wondering why that seemed so familiar) and pointed at Ichigo.

"You're never home anymore!" She cried. "Why do you keep coming down here!?"

"Why? I . . . I . . ." He was at a loss for words.

I sat silently, watching as Karin glared at her brother, and Mr. Kurosaki kneeled down with a concerned look.

"Ichigo, I know you're trying to be strong. After all, we're a family aren't we? What do you think your going to accomplish by coming down here every day, all day?"

Ichigo shuffled his feet, trying not to flinch when his father patted his shoulder and frowned. I smiled and hovered a hand above his other shoulder. He turned to look at me.

"I think I have an answer to your question earlier, Ichigo." I said. "The one about why you haven't seen your mother."

Ichigo's lips quivered and I scooted closer. "I think it's because she knows you have a good family, here in the living world, who will take care of you, and protect you. And you will do the same to them."

He rubbed his eyes, stubbornly holding back the tears about to pour over.

"Is your friend, Angel, here?" Mr. Kurosaki asked. Ichigo cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah. She's here." he said. "She'll always be here."

His father laughed, patting down Yuzu's hair who had hidden her face in his chest to cry. I would have laughed too, but the curious look on Karin's face caught my attention. I tilted my head as she stared at the exact spot I was in.

* * *

A/N: HA! DONE! Hahaha. I hoped you liked the chapter, and I apoligize if it was a bit too fast or scattered. I'm trying to get a lot of the beginning information and events into the story now so that the rest can flow easily, but this is really hard and kind of irritating, lol.

Again, if anyone has any information on childhood flashbacks with Ichigo, that would be a GREAT help! I got how he met Orihime and Chad. But other than that all I got is Wiki. Ah well, if I don't find anything I'll just stick to what I'm doing now.

So thank you for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! I KNOW YOU WANT TO! =D

I'll give you virtual cookies?


	5. Five

A/N: I am SO happy with the amount of reviews I got last chapter! I was like *o*! Thank you SO much! I hope to keep up the good work and get that much feedback again!

Enjoy!

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Abby-Flourite: **Aww, thank you so much!

**Hayate The Soul Reaper:** Oh don't worry, I'm just happy you reviewed :) Glad to know your laptop is fixed, I nearly died when I had to wait for mine to get fixed to T_T;; And you brought up some really good questions! The Red Thread of Fate (or as Angel likes to call it, 'string) is told in many different ways. The meeting of the soul-mate thing is one version, and the 'who you're going to affect in your life' is another. There are other simple details that change as well such as the string being wrapped around a finger (Thumb, pinky, and ring), or around the ankle. In order to fit my story I _have_ changed a few facts around, made up my own and took away others.  
Now, as for Angel's real name: _That_ is going to remain a secret. A little fun thing I like to do with the readers and because Ichigo pretty much named her, I don't think he'd really care to know her real name and Angel is just fine with it. Its part of the mystery that is her character *wiggles fingers and make sparkles come out* hahaha. And for the whole "Spirit turns into a Hollow thing", well, I guess you'll just have to read to find out x3

**Blackenflames: **I actually think Ichigo can't see his mom because *And this is a small spoiler* she was attacked by the hollow named Grandfisher who used the girl 'puppet' that Ichigo saw by the river to bring people with the ability to see her so he can devour their souls. I guess if the soul is devoured (Which is what his mom protected him from and died) then there's no ghost :/ that's what I think at least.

**Deathberry Supreme:** You know, I'm usually a romance writer, so I was surprised myself when I found that categorizing this under 'romance' wouldn't exactly fit since it's not really it's focused genre. I AM thinking of a possible pairing for the OC, I just need to figure out how you readers would take it though, lol.

* * *

AWAKE  
Five

"We're all born and reborn out of water, baptized as it were from the unconscious depth."  
- Eli James, _Ghost Whisperer_

"Ugh! I'm never going to defeat that stupid Tatsuki!" Ichigo fumed as we walked out of the dojo. I rolled my eyes, floating behind the nine-year-old and rubbing my head.

"You almost got her that one time!" I said, trying in vain to help. Ichigo puffed out his cheek and then winced from pain. He lightly fluttered his tiny fingers over his bruising left cheek and winced.

"Though I have to give her props for knocking you flat on your butt ten seconds into the -" I was cut off by the boy's glare and gave a nervous laugh.

"N-Nevermind. She did give you a nasty bruise there though . . ." Ichigo huffed and folded his arms.

I had to admit, it was pretty hilarious to watch Ichigo spar with the blue-spikey-haired girl named Tatsuki. It almost made it hard to believe that he was the one going to do a bunch of fighting in the future - and _win_.

It also turned out to be Tatsuki that got Ichigo's dad the day that crazy bald guy with sunglasses chased him down by the river. It was obvious the two had some mutual agreement that wasn't exactly friendship, but not enemies either.

"I'll get her one of these days," Ichigo said with a determined look. I sweat-dropped, not bothering to say anything more.

We entered the house and I immediately headed towards the couch. Settle in the corner, I looked around to see Mr. Kurosaki at the kitchen table and Yuzu pushing a small vacuum down the hallway. I could hear Ichigo mumbling to himself as he climbed upstairs.

I sighed. Another week had passed by since I've been here, and things seemed to set into a routine. The day after Ichigo's family came to get him by the river, he finally went back to school, with me of course because he would complain every time I left his side. After returning to the Dojo . . . well, it's suffice to say he was a little behind on his lessons and Tatsuki showed no mercy for such a fact - claiming to beat him down even worse than she did before.

However, she was surprised when Ichigo stopped crying every time he got hit.

I remember the smug-turned-confused look on her face when they sparred and she sent a swift kick to his stomach. Ichigo fell to the ground with a loud _thump!_ and rubbed his backside with a frown. His lip quivered, and before I could go and check to see if he was okay, he got right back up again.

"What, not going to cry this time?" she bellowed with a hearty laugh. Ichigo scowled and swung at her, knocking her back a couple inches but it wasn't hard enough to fall.

Tatsuki smiled, a gleam in her eyes and said, "It's about time."

She attacked.

Every time Ichigo knocked down, he sat there, stunned for a second and got right back up again.

I smiled at the memory; the determination on his face as he took every hit and attempted to fight back told me exactly why he was the main character of his own show.

The string design crossing between my fingers came to a halt when I noticed someone on the side of the couch. I turned and saw a pair of dark eyes peering over the arm, and then a soft squeak as they ducked behind and disappeared. I sighed and craned my head to look.

"Karin?" I called. The little girl shot up, gave me a weird look and turned to run up the stairs and past a newly-dressed Ichigo.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked, plopping down next to me. I shrugged and rubbed my head.

"I don't think your sister likes me." I muttered. To say I was surprised that Karin could also see me was an understatement. And the fact that Yuzu couldn't see me really had me wondering: How far exactly did this ability spread through his family? Is it possible his mother could see ghosts too?

Karin didn't seem to be as open about it as Ichigo. I wasn't sure if it was because she knew something was different or because she was too young to understand. I remember one night I was walking down the hall and Karin cracked open the door. And as soon as she saw me, of course, she slammed the door back shut, deeming whatever she had to do unimportant.

Ichigo frowned before blowing out a puff of air.

"Ah, forget about her. I'm sure it's nothing." And then he turned to me, tilted his head, and scrunched his nose. I had learned he did this when he wanted to ask something.

"Hey Angel,"

"Yes?"

He pursed his lips. "I have a question."

"Okay . . ."

"I've been wondering, what's that chain thingy around your neck?"

I blinked. Once. Twice.

"Chain thingy?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I noticed you wearing it the other day."

I stood there, confused before reaching up to feel my neck.

Yup, there was something there.

Without thinking, I flew up to the mirror the hung on the wall.

"What the heck?" I blurted.

Indeed, there was a metal clasp secured tightly around my neck with a medium-sized chain hanging off in the front. I pulled down my hoodie to get a better view.

"Where did that come from?"

Okay, I couldn't even take off my own clothes (I found this out after getting irritated with my hoodie) how could something _new_ just appear out of nowhere?

"Ichigo, when did you notice this around my neck?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, a couple of days ago I guess. Why?"

I peered closely at its reflection, running my fingers under and around the hard cold metal and then down the metal chains. Afterward, I backed away from the mirror and glided back to the couch.

"It probably happens to ghosts, I guess." Wasn't there something about a chain hanging from a ghost in this series?

Damn it! If only I watched this show, at least I would know what was going on then.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Angel, can you teach me a little more about ghosts?" Ichigo asked.

I furrowed my brows. "Teach you . . . about ghosts? What do you mean?"

He shuffled his feet on the floor and sheepishly rubbed his head. "Well . . . I don't really see the difference between ghosts and living humans . . . You all look the same to me."

_Look all the same_? I tapped my lip and glided to his desk chair.

How could we all look the same? Doesn't he notice the transparency of our bodies at least? I looked at my own hand and tilted my head.

Yup. Though I seemed to look a little more solid than I did in my world, I could still see through my hand to the carpeted floor below.

"I don't know very much myself . . ." I said with a sigh. "I haven't been dead for very long."

"I know that." he hopped onto his bed. "But you have to know _something_ . . ."

I hummed to myself and gazed at the clock the hung on his wall.

"Well, what time does your dad require you to come home."

"Seven. And I have to stay between here and the park."

I turned at that. "There's a park nearby?"

He nodded. "Yeah. it's down the road, and is actually closer to here than the dojo is."

I clapped my hands together. "Alrighty then. We have three hours, let's go!"

I flew down the stairs and Ichigo followed behind. He said goodbye to his father and soon we were walking down the road.

Not five minutes later we were at the park and sitting in one of the picnic tables under a large tree.

"Why did you want to go here?" he asked. I looked around the playground and then back to him.

"Okay, there are some thing I've noticed you can see differently between humans and ghosts. If I'm correct and fit into the group thing."

"And what is that?"

"One thing you might notice is the difference in our bodies. Us ghosts don't have a solid form - we're dead. If we did have a solid body, it might lose the entire idea of being dead; we're not supposed to interfere with the world anymore. I don't know how that works differently with people like you and Karin, who can see, hear, and talk to us."

I held my hand a foot in front of Ichigo's face. "If I were a solid being, something about my hand would be a little different."

The boy peered curiously at my hand before letting out a gasp of surprise.

"I can see through your hand!"

I nodded again. "Now that you know what you're looking for, do you see how different I look compared to everyone else?"

He gazed at me, up, down, side to side. Then he looked around at the few people passing by.

"You're entire body is see-through," he said.

"I'm transparent. So other ghosts like me should be transparent too."

"But what if I don't know for sure? What if someone's a ghost and I can't tell from far away?"

"Hmm . . ." I tapped my chin. What else has changed about me? I can fly, sort of. Above a few feet I didn't feel very comfortable. Walking through walls won't help much either . . .

"Oh!" I brought a fist sideways down on my hand. "There's physical touch."

He tilted his head to the side. "Physical touch?" he asked.

I held my hand out again. "Do you remember trying to grab my hand the other night? The time before you found out I was a ghost?"

"Yes."

"There was also the time Yuzu walked right through me when she was heading to the kitchen."

"Yeah! It looked like your body burst into a bunch of smoke, and then came back together and you were there again!" he waved his hands around for a demonstration.

"That's right," I laughed at the memory. The look on Ichigo's face when my entire body passed through a person was priceless.

"But what does that have to do with seeing someone from far away?"

"I'm getting to that."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Anyways, I found that it takes a lot of energy to keep myself from falling through the floor. So it's a lot more comfortable to just hover above the ground."

"You do that a lot," he noted.

"Yup." I leaned against the table, with my arms folded under me. "Because of that, I'm guessing you can always look at their feet. If they're floating, you know they're a ghost."

Ichigo nodded slowly, thinking through what I just told him before scratching his head. "I think I get it now."

I smiled. "Do you wanna walk around and see if we can find any other ghosts? That way we can see if you can tell the difference now?"

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically and practically jumped off the bench. I giggled and followed behind.

"But where should we look?" he asked. I bit my lip.

"I don't think it'll take too long. Kids around your age like to hang around playgrounds a lot, don't they?" If this show was almost as cliche as I thought. Surely there would be ghost children running around a playground, right?

Ichigo pursed his lips and wrinkled his brow in concentration. "I don't think I see anyone."

I hummed to myself, wandering around the park behind Ichigo. _Wow, seriously? Not a single ghost kid?_ I thought to myself in disappointment.

Some laughing in the distance caught my attention, and turning to look at the slide I grinned. A little boy, around seven or eight, with dark spikey hair and a blue sweatshirt was climbing up the slide, and then proceed to climb onto the bars where children didn't usually play. I focused my vision, and noticed almost all of the red strings around him were cut. The evening sun-rays shone right through him and no shadow emitted from his body.

"Come on Brother!" He said to another kid, who looked to be about six. The one he called 'Brother' nearly had the same face, with a tiny green sweater that had a teddy bear sewn on the front. His blue eyes were watery as he tried climbing up the slide himself, only to slip back down again.

"I know you can do it!"

The younger boy didn't respond. It wasn't until a few seconds later did I notice the real difference between the boys: The older one was dead, the other was not.

"Hey Ichigo," I whispered before motioning towards the two children. Ichigo backtracked.

"What is it? Did you find anyone?"

"Better." I smiled.

"How about a little test?" I suggested. He frowned.

"Test? What do you mean a test."

"I mean," I rolled my eyes. "I want you to figure out which boy is a ghost, and which one isn't. Now look at those two, the ones with the blue and green sweaters."

He looked at who I pointed at. After a few seconds of silence he perked up. "The boy up there! The one with the blue sweater."

I smiled and clapped my hands. "Awesome! How did you know?"

He grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the one with the blue sweater is kind of . . . flying . . ."

Wait, what?

I looked back up and, what do you know, the boy was now floating next to the slide, giving silent encouragements to his brother until he finally made his way up.

I sweat dropped. "Well . . . at least it's a start."

"So I was right? That was easy!" Ichigo said a little too loudly. The parents watching their child and cheering for his success gave us - er, Ichigo - an odd look. I rubbed my head and whisked my hands for him to walk.

"A-Alrighty then, let's go . . ."

Following my orders, but not without a confused look, Ichigo started going the direction he came back from. I turned back to give one last look to the young ghost, only to find him staring at me. With a large goofy grin, he waved. I returned the gesture before floating back to Ichigo's side.

For the hour and a half it went like this. I would point to someone and ask, "Ghost or no ghost?" and he would answer. Most of the time he got it right.

"Okay bud, which one is the ghost and which one isn't?" I asked, pointing to an elderly woman and a young business man on the other side of the street.

He folded his arms with a triumphant smirk. "Trick question! They're both ghosts!"

I rolled my eyes as he stuck his tongue out at me. "Alright, alright."

We sat on the swings and I looked at the sun. "We have about one hour before we have to head back. You want to take a break and play a little while?"

"Sure!" he said before darting off into the playground.

I laughed at his innocent enthusiasm. The park was nearly empty now, save for the little ghost boy we saw earlier. Ichigo ran straight for him, and after a brief surprise conversation, the two began chasing each other around.

I stayed by the swings, happy to see the orange-haired Bambi relaxed and happy for a change.

With a last glance to make sure he was okay, I took out my string and began making the usual designs I messed with. It streamed through my fingers in criss-crosses. I tucked my thumb under here, pulled a piece of the string over there. It wasn't long before I thought about Reed and how I taught her the 'Teacup, Volcano, Whiskers' trick.

We were about ten, on a spring afternoon during lunch at school. We sat at our usual table, away from people and under the large tree that encased us in its shadows.

"It keeps tangling!" she would complain as I showed her the first move.

"That's because you doing it wrong," I sighed before helping her. After a while, Reed detangled the yellow string from her fingers and set it on the table.

"I give up." She sighed. "I can't even make a stupid teacup."

I rolled my eyes and set my own string down. "C'mon Sis, I know you can do it! Here, let me help you. Put the string behind your pinky and forefinger . . ."

She did as she was told, and even though I had to help weave the string over one finger or another, she finally got the shape down. It was sloppy, but it was a start.

"I did it!" she exclaimed. I clapped my hands and laughed.

"You did! Now keep it like that and I'll teach you how to turn it into a volcano."

I gazed down at the volcano shape I had now. "I miss you, Reed." I whispered.

And then something weird happened.

My hands . . .

I pocketed the string and brought my hands up to my face. They seemed a lot more . . . faded than usual. I turned them this way and that . . . yup, something was definitely different.

I pulled on my hoodie, stretching it out to get a better look at it. Was it fading in color? The dark red was almost a fading pink.

Was it . . . was it losing color?

"Ichigo?" I called out.

No answer.

It was only then did I realize that the sound of laughter had gone. And it could have been gone for a while.

I looked around to see where him and the ghost-boy might have gone, only to find them nowhere in sight. Deeper into the park perhaps? It did stretch out a lot more than I thought.

I quickly floated off the swing, only to fall back onto the ground from the rush of dizzyness in my head.

What the heck?

My vision blurred, and I felt very . . . light. Shaking it, only to see if it would help, I walked away from the swing set to find Ichigo.

Why do I feel like this? It's been so long since I didn't feel well, or anything for that matter. I was dead! How can I feel faint?

I only made it a yard or two before feeling my body slow, my energy seeming to lose.

What's happening to me?

What's going on?

"Ichigo!" I called out. A shout of laughter got my attention, and I darted. I rubbed my head as I ran, keeping my hands out in front of me as if I would run into something. I ran through a kiddie slide, and after a few minutes of running I found myself at the edge of the park.

_Turn!_ Something told me, and I went.

More laughing, it sounded like Ichigo!

And suddenly, as if that lightheadedness was just a part of my imagination, the faint feeling was gone. Something like a wave of energy washed over me and I found my vision to get clearer and clearer.

I looked up to find Ichigo on the sidewalk, hiding behind a lamppost and dodgeing a tag from the ghost boy.

"Ha! Missed!" he yelled, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry.

"Ichigo!" I yelled, not meaning to yell as loudly as I did. The boys jumped and spun so quickly to face me.

I ran up to them and rubbed my head. "Man Kid, you scared me. Try not to go too far next time, alright?"

"Sorry," Ichigo muttered.

"And I think it's about time we headed home. It's almost seven." Horror washed over his face and he looked at the time on his wrist.

"Aww," he whined. He turned to the ghost boy and waved.

"Bye Kotaru!"

"Bye Ichigo!" the boy waved back. "I hope to see you soon! Bye pretty lady!"

I smiled at the charming young boy and waved.

"He seems nice." I said as we walked out of the park.

Ichigo put his hands behind his head and grinned. "Yeah. Kotaru is so cool! He can fly around and walk through walls and everything! Just like you!"

"I see. What did you guys do?"

Well, I set myself up for that one.

And thus he began talking about his friend almost entire way home.

"He has a younger brother name Kota and an older sister who lives in America with her husband. He's my age too!"

"Wow."

"Yeah! And his little brother has a bad arm, so he has a hard time climbing up things. But he works hard every day to help make it stronger."

"Really? What happened to his arm?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Umm, I think Kotaru said they were in an accident or something."

I stopped short at that. "An accident?"

He nodded. "Yes. Kotaru said he fell out a three story window and nearly died. But Kotaru managed to catch him just in time."

I wondered if that was also how Kotaru died. How sad, and so young too . . .

Ichigo was silent for a moment. Much so that I had to check to see if he was still there.

"Is something wrong?" He had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Angel, how did you die?"

I was taken aback. Did he really just ask?

"How did I die?" I asked, as if to make sure I heard him right.

"Yeah." He blinked up at me. "You always talk about your sister and your friends. But you never told me how you died."

I tapped my bottom lip. "Hmm . . ." How to put it in a way that didn't sound so . . . bad?

"I think I could say it was a lot how Kotaru died. I died protecting someone I loved."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Okay with what?"

"With dying while the other person lived. You're not mad or anything, right?"

"Of course I'm not mad."

"So . . . when my mom died, she isn't mad at me? She isn't mad that she died protecting me?"

"Why would you ever think that?" I nearly snapped. I gave a calming breath and kneeled down to the ground.

"No, why would she be mad?"

He twisted his mouth for an answer. "I don't know."

"Ichigo . . ." I sighed, about to run a hand through his hair in a caring gesture before stopping myself. "Your mom is so . . . _happy_ . . . that you're alive and well. Okay? So don't _ever_ think that she could ever be upset with you. She died because she protected one of _the most important_ people in her life."

"Okay," he nodded, looking down at the ground.

"Okay then." I stood back up and tilted my head for us to go on.

It was silent again. We walked another couple of yards before Ichigo popped out another question.

"Angel, why do people have to die?"

I blinked.

"What?"

"Is it because we did something wrong? Kotaru . . . why did he die? Why when he's so young?"

I really had no idea to answer this question. Why would a child so young, like Kotaru, have to die?

I can only imagine how it must be for him and everyone around him. Well, maybe I do know how it feels to die at such a young age. Age fourteen and dead.

But at least I lived a little more. That boy will never know what it's like to find love, have a true crush, or have a first kiss. He'll have to sit back and watch all his friends grow up and become teenagers, then adults.

I was horrified at just the thought of seeing Ichigo's lifeline being severed at this age.

"Well," I started, trying to think of a way to make Ichigo understand that death was just . . . death. It happened. To everyone.

"I guess that when you're born, you're given this life energy . . . And one day, maybe a day sooner than others . . . you have to give it back."

He seemed to understand. At least, a little.

"What if we didn't give it back?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. When you're supposed to give it back, and you don't . . . I guess it's like spoiled milk. If you don't drink all of it before it's expiration date, it's going to turn bad and rotten."

"Oh . . . did Tatsuki not give the energy back?"

"Why in the world would you ask that?"

He scrunched up his nose, "Because she's _rotten_!"

I bursted into a fit of laughter.

"No, I think that's something different entirely!"

We got home and Ichigo ran inside.

"We're home!" he yelled.

As if remembering something important, I looked back at my hand, noticing the flush of color had come back.

"Yeah. We're home."

* * *

A/N: *does victory dance* I was planning on giving a couple of more days before posting but I was just too excited. I'm actually pretty happy with this chap. I managed to fit in everything I wanted without making it seem _too_ rushed.

I hoped you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think!


	6. Six

A/N: Okay, this is where the serious time-skips begin. You're going to see weeks and even years pass by between and in chapters, with little scenes between Angel and Ichigo and his family go on. I hope this isn't bothersome, but I don't think I can write exactly what goes on in every moment for the next six years, especially if some things aren't exactly, you know, eventful, lol

Little time-skips on same day/general scene:

(Line)  
x x x  
(Line)

Time skips between weeks/months/year:

(Line)  
o o o  
(Line)

_**Special Thanks To: (And each given virtual cookies!)**_

**Pailrose**

**Valerie Michaelis**

**Abby-Flourite**

**CaitlinMG: **Oh that's an embarressing mistake _;; thank you for pointing that out, I'll try and keep an eye out for similar mistakes in the future.

**Bookgal7:** Yeah I was going to update it later but I just couldn't wait :) I hope I'm not updating too fast! I sometimes get complaints on the readers not getting the chance to read the chapters before I update again, hahaha!

**Blackenflames:** IThe whole speech about how people had to die was surprisingly easy o.o I don't usually do very well on those types of speeches, hahaha so I'm glad it wasn't a total fail. Yes, Rukia will show up, but of course that'll happen when Ichigo's life get's a littler more interesting (Teeheehee!)

* * *

AWAKE  
Six

"Time isn't a straight line. It's all . . . bumpy-wumpy. There's loads of boring stuff. Like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays."  
- The Doctor, _Doctor Who_

Two weeks pass.

Two weeks where we came down to the park nearly every day and Ichigo would play around with Kotaru.

Well, except this week. Monday and Tuesday were busy days for Ichigo, who was a little behind on his homework and was spending extra time at the dojo lately.

Finally, with some free time, he was so excited, he ran all around the playground looking for Kotaru.

"Maybe he's at home Ichigo. He doesn't seem to be here today."

Ichigo argued, folding his arms in irritation. "I finally finished my work though! And I made a new game we can play!"

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked around, seeing the park deserted. It felt a lot more different than usual. More . . . emptied and cleaned through. "We'll come back some other time then. Maybe he'll be here tomorrow."

Ichigo sighed and hung his head in disappointment. "Okay." he stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock.

"Don't be disappointed. We'll see him some other time."

For some reason, I knew deep down inside, for some odd reason that we wouldn't.

And we never did.

* * *

x x x

* * *

It was one of those rare 'once in a blue moon' days in the Kurosaki household when everyone had the chance to do their own thing.

Karin seemed to warm up to me a lot more, which only added to Yuzu's irritation because she couldn't see me. But the older twin sister helped a lot with communication. As Tatsuki had come over to help with schoolwork with Ichigo, I decided to stay downstairs. It made things easier. I didn't want him to freak Tatsuki out by talking to me while she was here, since she couldn't see me.

So, as a small 'get along with Karin and Yuzu' activity, I tried my best to help them bake cookies. Mr. Kurosaki made sure to stay in the living room in case anything went wrong.

The four year old twins wear currently trying to even out the flour. With Karin as the sort of translator between me and Yuzu, I was able to read them the instructions out of their mother's cookbook.

"No Karin, that's too much flour!" Yuzu scolded, wacking the older girl's hand with a wooden spoon.

"Ow! Gosh Yuzu, you don't have to hit me! Aw man, now you got flour all over my shirt!"

I giggled in my little corner of the kitchen; reading over the instructions to make sure the oven was preheating at the right temperature.

"Be careful you two. You wouldn't want to spill anything, it'll waste the ingredients."

"Yeah, yeah," Karin waved me off in such an Ichigo-fashion, I couldn't help but laugh.

"What? Did Angel say something?" Yuzu asked excitedly. Karin shrugged.

"She just said not to spill anything."

"Ah~!" The younger twins eyes glimmered. "That is so cool! I wish I could talk to her too!"

"Didn't you say you could feel her presence in the room?"

The four year old puffed out her cheeks, "It's not the same."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. When the girls finally put in their first batch, my mouth watered at the leftover cookie dough.

"Oh how I miss the taste of food," I practically drooled. Another thing I hated about being dead - my love for food was _gone_. No hunger, no taste buds, no nothing. I internally sobbed at all the sushi I wasn't going to eat now. I'm going to miss the taste of the sushi my uncle always made me whenever we visited Japan. I wish I at least knew the name of it . . .

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Is something burning?" Tatsuki asked as she came downstairs. Ichigo wrinkled his nose.

"What are you guys doing?"

Yuzu and Karin nearly flew off the couch. "Oh no!" Yuzu exclaimed. "But the timer didn't even go off!"

I attempted to wave away the smoke with my hand, only to remember that it wouldn't do any good.

Karin groaned. "I think I set it wrong . . ."

Mr. Kurosaki ran into the kitchen and slammed open the oven with a cough. "Aww Kids, you did a good job though!"

"I'm sorry Dad! Karin accidently set the timer wrong!"

Karin glared at her sister as I looked at the timer on the stove. "Karin, I think you set it to ten hours . . . instead of ten minutes."

"I'm sorry," She grumbled. Mr. Kurosaki gave a thumbs up and a flashing smile.

"It's alright oh daughter of mine! At least there wasn't a fire!"

Tatsuki raised her eyebrows. "Um . . . Mr. Kurosaki, I think you're lab coat is on fire!"

The man immediately frown and turned to see that he had forgotten to open the oven.

"YEEOW!" He yelped before dropping to the floor and rolling to the ground. I sweat-dropped as Karin laughed hysterically. Ichigo shook his head and shut the oven.

"Are you okay daddy?" Yuzu yelled, her eyes widening in panic.

"I'm A-OK!" The man assured as smoke seeped out from under him.

With their father still laying on the ground, Karin and Yuzu got up on their stools and poked at the burnt cookies with a fork.

"They smell funny," Karin wrinkled her nose.

"That's what you get for setting the timer wrong," Ichigo said as Tatsuki laughed. The two walked out of the kitchen and to the door as Karin huffed.

"I'm no good at this stuff!"

"It's okay Karin, the next batch will do alright!" Yuzu assured. Karin merely folded her arms and puffed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Bye everyone, thanks for having me over!" Tatsuki yelled with a wolfish grin. Ichigo waved and shut the door behind her.

I floated over to the couch and dropped onto the cushions. Ichigo stepped over his father still on the floor and sat next to me with a raised eyebrow.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Your sisters fell asleep while they were watching the movie. I would have done something if I could have," I looked sadly at my hands, remembering how they phased right through the oven handle when I tried to open it.

"It's okay," Ichigo said, giving me one of his bright smiles. "It's not your fault."

"Thanks Kid," I sighed and leaned on the arm of the couch. "You know I'm going to miss that smile of yours."

"What do you mean you'll miss my smile?"

I rolled my eyes and gave a smug look. "I'm willing to bet that as you get older, your cute smile is going to turn into a teenage smirk."

He puffed out his cheeks. "I'm _handsome_, not _cute_. And I'll never lose my smile!"

I chuckled, "Yeah. Sure Kid. Let's say I hold you up on that?"

Ichigo merely huffed and looked away.

* * *

o o o

* * *

"Tatsuki asked me the weirdest thing today,"

I was laying on Ichigo's bed, reading one of his story books he picked out for me from the shelf. He sat at his desk, tossing a bouncy ball at the wall and catching it with one hand.

This was one of those boring days when Ichigo and I didn't really have anything to do. With his exams done and over, it was pretty much free sailing from here on out for his school. I only knew this because I was stuck attending classes with him and sitting on any surface.

And I thought my schools were boring.

"Oh? And what would that be? Can you turn the page for me?"

Ichigo thoughtlessly turned the page of the book and sat back, throwing the ball at the wall again.

"She asked . . . she asked if I could see ghosts."

I stopped reading. The soft movement of my legs as the tossed back and forth while on my stomach froze and my eyebrow rose. "Really? What'd you say?"

He shrugged nonchalantly and caught the ball again. "I didn't really answer her."

With a long breath I sat up and so I could look at Ichigo better. "Why not?"

He shrugged again, "I don't know. She's my friend, I kind of don't want to lie to her. But then again . . . I don't really want her to know either."

"Well, think of it this way: If you don't want to lie to her, but don't want anyone else to know, then tell her. But if you don't mind lying to her and not risking her accidently telling anyone, then don't tell her."

He nodded, thinking. "But . . . what if I did start telling people I can see dead people?"

I made a face, "I personally wouldn't go around doing that - at least, don't go around telling everyone you can see ghosts. Otherwise you'll have strange people on your doorstep asking to talk to their loved ones or some weird stuff like that."

He wrinkled his nose at that thought, stopping himself from throwing the ball in midair. "Good point."

"So?" I pressed.

"So what?"

I rolled my eyes again and laid back down on my stomach. "Are you going to tell Tatsuki your abilities?"

After a bit of thinking, Ichigo began throwing the ball again. "Nah. I think I'll leave it unanswered." he said.

I laughed and shook my head. "Good luck keeping that up,"

I went back to reading and then groaned. "You know, for a ten-year-old, you don't have very many non-kiddie books to read."

He smirked. "If you don't like it, then stop reading it!"

I sighed and turned to lay on my back. I thought for a minute, looking oddly at nothing before craning my head backwords to look at Ichigo. "Wow, you're ten years old. I've been here for over a year now, doesn't time just fly?"

With a grateful smile, Ichigo leaned back into his chair and threw the ball one last time.

"It's a beautiful day to be alive, isn't it?"

* * *

A/N: . . . Yeah this chapter is a lot shorter than most. Sorry about that, lol

I'm so, so grateful for everyone's help in any mistakes I made! It really helps for future referance when I write! So what did you guys think? Am I going a little too fast on the time line? Sorry but I'm really anxious to get to the Bleach-Story timeline (Didn't think that'd be coming up, eh? lol)

Now, I have the nest three or so chapters written, so the faster you review, the faster I update!

Which brings up another question: Have I been updating too fast? I waited a couple more days than usual to post this chap, because I wasn't sure a lot of people had the chance to read the new chapter before then.

So click that review button and tell me your thoughts!

You know you want to~!


	7. Seven

A/N: OMG OMG OMG TRAILER FOR WARM BODIES CAME OUT THE OTHER DAY! I AM SO HAPPY!

Lol, sorry, fangirl moment hahaha. WOW, Thank you guys SO MUCH for the feedback I got last chapter! I'll be sure to fix any mistakes I made ASAP. Now, I normally would have updated tomorrow or something but because you guys are just too awesome I decided to update, what, a day after my last update? xD Well, I did promise the more reviews, the faster I update! So please enjoy!

_**Special Thanks To: (A BAG OF COOKIES FOR ALL OF YOU!)**_

**April Marciano:** Thanks :) I keep having to remember that the characters are young, but even so in the anime they're really smart for their age (There's also the fact that . . . it's an anime xD) I'm not too sure about the pairings yet, so we'll have to wait and see!

**Hayate The Soul Reaper:** I love your long reviews! Please don't worry and rush about reviewing, I really appreciate you doing so at all! And thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing out any mistakes! I don't have MicrosoftWord (I have to use this WordPad, which has no spell/grammar check of any kind) so when I read over the story, I end up skimming it because I'm lazy and kind of miss a few things xD It wasn't until recently did I realize that I kept writing _that's _and _what's_ without the apostrophe, lol.

**CaitlinMG:** Don't worry! Kotaru might just return *mysterious look* And no! No! No! Don't ever feel bad for pointing out any mistakes, I love it when my reviewers do that because then I don't have to carry on the story and have future readers think I'm a nut case xD I know the difference between you're and your, I feel like a total idiot for not catching that, hahaha! Oh, and I can't wait to see your fanart! Again, thank you so much!

**Bookgal7:** Haha thanks! And sorry about that one sentence, I was kinda half asleep while writing the last bit of that chapter -_-;; Angel was laying on the bed, on her stomach, with her feet swaying back and forth in the air, and then they froze wherever they were, lol. I promise to put some fights (though I kinda suck at those) but they will be gradually building up. Hahaha Ironically there happen to be some in this chapter o.O ish . . . hahaha

**hp1piececraziness:** Oh good because I got a complaint about that once in one of my other fanfictions, xD

**Valerie Michaelis:** *Squeeeee!* I can't either.

** :** Thanks! I was actually looking for a story similar to this, and when I found none, i thought, 'Hey! Maybe I should write it!' or something, xD

**Blackenflames:** I'm not sure when I'll finally get around to Ichigo when he's older, but I'm glad you're enjoying how the story is flowing so far x3

* * *

AWAKE  
Seven

"The Mohawk Indians have a saying that when a child falls in the rapids, the one who rescues her will share in her new life forever."  
- Temperance Brennen, _Bones_

"Run Ichigo!" I yelled as he managed to kick the other kid in the shin.

He smirked triumphantly and sped off. I did my best to follow behind him, looking back every once in a while to see how far away we got.

"I didn't think you'd have very many bullies in this town," I managed to spit out as we turned a corner.

"Well, this just brings back old memories!" He laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but that old guy barely had any stamina! You better think of something quick or these guys will catch up!"

Ichigo 'humphed' as we ducked into an alley. He hid under a thrown-away mattress that sat atop of two trashcans. I stayed out in the open, making sure the group boys chasing him didn't see.

"So far so good," I called out as they ran straight through me. They ran a couple of yards before stopping and looking around.

"Hey! Where'd he go?" The bigger one asked, scratching his head. He seemed to have a bad hair day with stringy brown locks and a narrowed face.

"I don't know, Boss, maybe he went . . . uh, this way!" his crony shouted, pointing down the road.

"Okay Ichigo, you're almost in the cl-"

Said boy sprinted out of the alley and ran the opposite direction with a large grin. "Ha!" he shouted.

"E-EH? I-ICHIGO I DIDN'T SAY TO COME OUT YET!" I shouted, soon panicking when the group of four boys spotted him.

"There he is!"

I caught up with Ichigo by flight and scowled. "You idiot! I didn't give you the clear to get out of hiding!"

"Well I'm tired of hiding! If they wanna fight me then they'll get it!"

A large sweat drop sunk down the side of my head. _Then why the hell are you still running!?_

He turned down another alley, then another before I looked back and noticed the boys were gone.

"Okay, they're gone!"

Panting, Ichigo slouched against the alley wall to catch his breath.

"You know, just because you're turning eleven in a few months, doesn't mean you need to get cocky!" I scolded. Ichigo wiped the bit of blood dripping down his lip with a smirk.

"Che, like those guys could beat me down so easily."

"That's exactly what I'm saying! You can't possibly think four boys a whole grade above you is a good idea to fight against. Why did you pick a fight against them anyways?"

He glared at me. "They insulted my mother, you expect me to take that?"

I sighed and rubbed my head. "I get it, Ichigo. But did you have to kick the big guy where the sun don't shine and then proceed to break his brother's nose? Isn't there a rule in your dojo about picking fights?"

"He started it!" he huffed. I gave him a look before shaking my head with another sigh.

"I swear . . ."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a familiar voice sneered. Ichigo and I turned the way we came to see two boys from the earlier group closing in on us. I was about to tell Ichigo to bolt when we heard laughter behind us.

"Trapped like rats now," the leader bellowed with another laugh. The kid next to him laughed stupidly as the boys on the other side snickered.

"What are we gonna do with'em Boss? This here's a crazy one, we heard him talking to himself."

The leader smirked as Ichigo got into a ready stance.

"These kids are like, _twelve_, and they're already forming gangs of all things! You know when I was their age I was playing with Pokemon cards!"

"Welcome to my world," Ichigo said with a roll of his eyes.

I bit my lip. Man, how could I be so _useless_? Here I am, about to watch Ichigo get himself hurt and I can't do anything about it. I floated above the ground, backing up against Ichigo as he spat at the leader.

"Four against one? You coward, that's hardly fair."

"Stop adding fuel to the fire!" I yelled.

He ignored me, of course, and the first guy attacked.

"Behind you!"

He turned and gave a swift kick to the other kid's stomach and then dodged a punch from the second attacker.

The fight was surprisingly equally sided. He acted and then reacted, and soon enough one kid was down, then two.

Ichigo rubbed his bruised cheek and got ready for another defense. All that was left was the leader on one side and another burley one on the other.

"You got yourself into trouble _again_?" A voice called out.

The leader turned, and I nearly sighed in relief.

"Who the hell are you?"

Standing in all her glory, and like the true anime this world was, with a white heavenly glow sprouting from behind her, was Tatsuki.

She was a little taller than the last time I saw her. Her purple-blue hair grew out and I was willing to bet she was going to get it cut soon. On her face was a large grin, one that said she had won the fight before it even began.

"Oh thank god," I sighed in relief.

"Sure, you panic when I have to fight but as soon as she comes in you calm down?" Ichigo scowled at me and I quickly waved my hands in my defense.

"I had the utmost confidence in you, hun!"

"Yeah right," he muttered.

Tatsuki ran straight towards the leader and jumped into the air to give a drop-kick.

She joined Ichigo's side after landing, giving a similar stance to him and smirking.

"Bitten off a little more than you can chew, haven't you?"

"Shut up! I was doing fine!" he replied stubbornly. Tatsuki merely huffed.

"Yeah, right. Totally explains why your nearly keeling over in pain. Got you in the stomach, didn't they?"

The boy refused to acknowledge the snub, but Tatsuki didn't mind. With a fire in her eyes, she attacked once more.

I groaned in irritation as I backed against the wall, knowing I won't do any good by Ichigo. "Dear lord, if I manage to go through the day without an undead heart attack, I swear, I will never complain about the lack of music on my iPod-less headphones again!"

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Ow! ow-ow-ow, be careful, that really hurts!"

"Oh stop being such a baby!" Yuzu scolded in her little five-year old chibi form as she held an icepack to Ichigo's face. "That's what you get for getting into fights again."

"I'm so proud of you son! Single-handedly taking down four huge bullies!"

"It's not something you should be celebrating about Dad. It was hardly an accomplishment since he did have help." Karin rolled her eyes, sitting on the clinic bed next to Ichigo.

"I could've handled it!" he whined. Tatsuki laughed.

"They were barely a foot taller than you. With how off you were, I'm surprised you walked away with just a few bruises."

Ichigo angrily huffed and stuck his tongue out at her. She returned the gesture, but added the finger-pulling-down-the-eye.

I laughed at the scene as the two argued. No matter how old these kids get, there are some things that I guess will never change.

* * *

o o o

* * *

The bell rang as Ichigo walked into the flower shop.

"Ooh, I love flowers!" I squealed before flying around the shop to get a better look. Ichigo smiled solemnly before walking up to the stand holding different arrangements of flower bouquets.

I landed by his side as he counted the coins in his pocket. "Do you have enough for these? They're all a little expensive."

He shrugged and walked around to the single flowers. "I think one will do. My mom was never one for really flashy things."

_Would explain the poster your father has of her on the wall,_ I thought sarcastically.

"Hey! They have dragon lilies!" I glided over to the purple flowers and pretended to take a whiff of their scent. It's the memory that counts, right?

Ichigo casually walked beside me and leaned down, pretending to take a closer look at the lilies. "You like dragon lilies?" he whispered. We were close to the cashier, so he had to say it quietly.

"Not really. I'm not a big fan of the color purple. But Reed loves them."

"You're sister?"

I smiled sadly. "Yeah."

He looked at me for a moment, just long enough for me to give him a questioning look before walking away.

"What flowers do you like?"

I pursed my lips, "Hmm, I don't know. I like a lot of flowers. Daisies, Baby's Breath . . ."

"Those are really simple," He noted.

"O don't like flashy stuff either. Ooh! I like roses too!" I ran to the roses and examined them.

"Why don't you get one for your mom?"

He scrunched his nose. "My mom's allergic to roses."

I frowned, "That's too bad. Ooh! A Knock Out rose!" I pointed to the light-red flower. "They always look the best when they're only half-opened. I guess you could say that this is my favorite flower. My dad got me one before we moved to Alaska when I was four. I think it's why Red became my favorite color."

He leaned in to see. "So you like this one?" He pointed out the rose I was looking at. I nodded without thinking.

Ichigo pursed his lips before reaching up and taking it out of its holder.

"I thought you weren't getting a rose for your mom?" I asked. I noticed he had another flower, a Lilly, in his hand as he walked back to the cash register.

"It's not for my mom," he said. He paid for the plants as I gave a curious look he paid no attention to.

"Thank you! Come again!"

* * *

x x x

* * *

He held out the single rose for me.

Confused, I looked back and brushed my fingers along the stem.

"I got it for you," Ichigo said, looking away with that embarrassed-boy look.

"For me?"

With a shaky hand, he scratched the side of his head, still avoiding eye contact. "Look, I never really got to thank you for . . . for always being there for me."

"Well, I kind of can't help that," I laughed.

He shrugged. "Anyways, I wanted you to have this, as a sort of thank you. It's been almost two years since we last met, right?"

I grinned and nodded. "Yeah, just about."

He waited as he held out the rose. I rose my eyebrows and ran my fingers down the stem again.

"I kind of . . . I can't grab it,"

He shook his head and laughed. "Yeah, I forgot." Setting it into the vase with his mother's flower, Ichigo sat into his desk and ran his thumb over one of the lily's petals.

"You looking forward to waking up early and climbing the big hill tomorrow?" I teased. Ichigo leaned back int the chair with his hands behind his head.

"Che, yeah right."

"You're dreading it are you?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me!"

He scrunched up is nose. "Okay, maybe a little . . ."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

o o o

* * *

"Picking a fight on your birthday! Your _birthday_! Who the heck does that?!"

"In my defense I didn't start it this time!" Ichigo yelled at me from the top of the fire escape he was currently hiding in.

"Oh yeah, sure you didn't. Telling a high-schooler he has a boiler for a face and meat for brains isn't picking a fight to you?"

I sat next to him as the teenager ran below us. Ichigo smirked. "He was defiling the memorial someone made for that girl who died last year! What else was I supposed to do? He's gone now, stop freaking out!"

"I can't help but freak out! If we don't get to your house by five then -" I slammed my hands over my mouth, one after the other, as Ichigo gave me a look.

"If we don't get back by five than what?" he asked, an evil glint in his eye.

"Nothing! Nothing!" I said quickly. "Your dad just might get mad."

"There's a surprise party waiting at the house for me, isn't there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Pfft, no way! We all know you hate surprise parties."

He stared at me, his eyes narrowing. "You're a really bad liar, Angel."

"Oh come on!" I whined, hitting the metal stairs. "Karin actually cleaned the entire house while Yuzu worked so hard on your cake! For a six year old, they've done a really great job!"

"Okay, okay." He said with a wave of his hand. "I'll _pretend_ to be surprised and _happy_ about it. There better be ice cream too."

I sighed.

Ichigo smirked before looking around. Seeing the area deserted, he swung down the rails and landed on his feet. "Okay, the coast seems to be clear."

"It's not," I deadpanned, seeing the teenager with a new group of friends running this way.

"Whoops." He laughed.

"You're going to be the second death of me Kid! The second DEATH!"

* * *

A/N: O_o Wow, that was longer than I thought, lol I hope the time line isn't too confusing, I'm trying to hint at how much time has been passing without actually saying it outright - which gets old. But I'm not writing it out of order, so he won't be ten one minute and nine the next (Unless there's a mentioning flashback).

Review please! You know you want to~!


	8. Eight

A/N: Sorry, I was going to update earlier but I wanted to rewrite the last part of this chapter and it got me a little stuck -_-;; thank you for your patience!

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Shaybo27: **hahaha, I knew of the popularity of Doctor Who (I never really got into it) and thought some fans might have a fangirl attack when they saw it xD Thank you so much for reviewing, I'm glad you like this story!

**Bookgal7:** Yeah I think he's just ending elementary. I'm not continuing on to the birthday part, I didn't even think of that -_-;; but it would be loads more fluff to write lol

**Shin no yoru**

**Hayate The Soul Reaper:** Please, just call me Luna :) Unfortunately for poor Angel Ichigo will never be able to stop his delinquent-ness and might actually get a poor undead heart attack, hahaha! Now, as for the scene when Ichigo fights Tatsuki and wins for the first time, that isn't until he enters his freshman year of high school. I'm a little iffy on how to write the fight scene (I dread those parts, *sigh* but hopefully I do a good job. Thanks for pointing out my error, I smack myself when I write "you're" instead of "your" out of habit T_T;; I look forward to your next review!

**Rinoreiri **(Reviewing Chapter 6)

**Seachell13**

**April Marciano**

**Blackenflames:** Oooh, I can't wait for Chad! He's one of my fave's and hopefully he'll be coming out soon!

* * *

AWAKE  
Eight

"You're born, you die, and you make a lot of mistakes in between."  
- _Dawson's Creek_

He's not going to school tomorrow.

It was a pattern I noticed Ichigo always went through during this time of year.

I stood outside his bedroom door, imagining Ichigo stuffing his face in his pillow as if he were using it to keep the images away.

"Ichigo?" I called, pondering whether or not to just phase through the door or give Ichigo his privacy.

I had to strain my ears to hear him mutter, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I can ask Karin to get you something -"

"I said I'm FINE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I jumped back and rubbed my lip. I felt stupid, because Ichigo always got like this the day before we left to visit his mother's grave. First he would act happy all day, forcing smiles in front of people with laughter and polite greetings. Then, when he was finally alone, his body would visibly shake in irritation as his anger at himself expanded tenfold. Sometime he would even punch things in an attempt to calm himself down.

It's gotten worse now that he's growing.

Without saying another word, I phased into the ground 'till I reached the first floor. Maybe a walk would do good; it's been a while since I've been on one.

With my feet touching the ground, I walked through the door.

For some reason, my body screamed at me to go back. It felt . . . it felt _unsafe_ going out there. But I ignored it, merely brushing it off. Maybe it felt weird going out alone because I was always with Ichigo.

I didn't know where I was going, nor did I care. At that moment, I just let my mind wonder. I thought about Reed; is she doing okay? How much time has passed in that world since I left, and is she happy? What about my dad? Is he still struggling with his goal to stop smoking? My mom is a surgeon, so did she save any lives recently? Did she give a child back to her parents, healthy and well?

Is she mad no one could do the same for me?

Exhausted from the walk I stopped by a nearby park bench. Wow, it's been a while since I thought of my family so deeply. How long has it been? Two, three months?

But I always thought about Reed. A day never went by when I haven't thought about how she was doing. Is she making new friends? Is she keeping herself healthy?

I wish I was able to see the look on her face when I gave her the Christmas present I put under the tree the day before I died. Reed was in love with colors - from everything she wore to everything she drew . . . she was given the nickname 'Rainbow Girl' when we started Jr. High.

Rubbing my head, I sighed and sat back into the bench.

Wow, I'm really out of shape. I'm feeling faint and I've only been walking for . . .

Wait a minute! Feeling faint? Why am I feeling faint?

Just the thought made me heave a big breath and shake my head in attempt to make the coming headache go away.

Pain.

But I'm dead! I can't feel fatigue, or loss of energy! It was . . . it didn't make any sense!

I shuddered another breath, only to gasp when my hand was almost entirely see-through.

Didn't this happen before? What's going on?

I looked down, stretching out my hoodie in a familiar fashion.

Yup, color fading.

I stood up, my feet floating onto the ground before feeling my entire body crashing to the floor.

Oh gosh, I feel dizzy. Can ghosts get dizzy? Or even sick?

My eyes widened, though the vision was blurred. No, I knew what was happening.

_No! No! No!_ I screamed at myself. _I can't! Ichigo, Ichigo needs me! I don't want to disappear!_

_I don't want to disappear!_

* * *

x x x

* * *

"I don't get it . . . all he has to do is shout out the sword-guy's name and he has full power?"

Reed rolled her eyes. "It's called a zanpakto. And yes, the name means everything. The swords are practically alive in this show."

"What a rip off." I stuck my tongue out, turning away from her laptop to look back at her computer. "The name might-as-well be Rumplestiltskin or something."

She glared at me as I giggled. "Don't diss the show! It's not like _Narudo_ or whatever is any different. At least the main character in _Bleach_ doesn't have an outfit that might as well have a giant 'Kill Me' sign on the back."

"It's _Naruto_," I corrected. "And in his defense, it's because he wants to be seen. He wants to stand out and be known! Doesn't your character have orange hair anyways?"

She scoffed and clicked on something on her laptop. "Yeah, but at least it has some involvement in the story. Unlike mister orange-clad jumpsuit."

I rolled my eyes. Reed shifted to lay on her stomach on the bed and set the laptop in front of her face.

"So . . . I have a history test tomorrow . . ." she trailed, and I smirked.

"Oh yeah? Good luck then."

She huffed and gave me pleading eyes. "Come on, Sis! You know I don't understand any of this history stuff, and you're really good at it! Can we just switch classes for one day? _Please_?"

I laughed and existed out of the internet window Spinning around in the rolling chair, I gave a thoughtful look.

"Hmm . . . maybe I'll do it for you this _one_ time . . ."

"Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She jumped off the bed and threw her arms around my neck.

"As long as you do my math test next week."

"Deal!"

She rolled back onto the bed, and as I turned back to the computer, she gasped.

"Oh my god! It's snowing!" I heard her move off the bed again to run to the bedroom window.

"Sis! It's snowing!"

I sighed. "And about time too, it's already the end of November. It usually starts in October."

I hopped off the rolling chair to stand next to her. She began drawing on the windows with her finger and stared through the foggy glass in awe.

"You excited for Christmas?" she asked, practically jumping up and down. I nodded and snaked an arm around her shoulders.

"Of course I am. I just hope the roads aren't won't get too icy, you know how reckless drivers can be."

Reed scoffed. "Oh please, in Mormonville? We live in the most boring town in the United States of America. Nothing bad ever happens here."

_"Angel? Angel! Wake up! This isn't funny! Say something!"_

* * *

x x x

* * *

Blue eyes fluttered open, only to be blinded by a bright light.

I groaned, holding a hand in front of my face to block the brightness of the street light.

"What . . . what happened?" I moaned, sitting up and rubbing my head. I turned to see Ichigo glaring up at me in tears as he sat on his knees.

"What's wrong, did something happen -"

"You left me!" he shouted, water running down his cheeks. I finally remembered what I was doing out here. I went for a walk, felt faint . . . my body . . .

I was disappearing!

I held my hands in front of my nose, turning them this way and that. The seemed normal now . . .

"Are you listening?!" he shouted, making me jump.

"I'm sorry, I was just giving you some space and went for a walk . . ."

"It felt like you left me! I was just laying in bed, and then next thing I know . . . it was like-it was like y-you were gone!"

"I'm sorry-" I tried to say, my mind still in a slight haze.

"No! No, you don't understand! You promised you would never leave me, but when I got here it looked like you were going to disappear! You were going to leave me!"

I did almost disappear.

"Ichigo, I'm so sorry! Please, just stop crying!"

"I'M NOT CRYING!" He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, panting out of breath. "You promised you'd never leave me!"

"And I won't!" I reached out for him, only to retract my hand. I couldn't touch him.

"Sweetie, I promise, I won't leave you again."

"Promise me, pinky swear!" he yelled, holding out his hand.

"You know I can't -"

His puffy red cheeks made me stop. Swallowing whatever words I had left in my throat, I reached out to carefully weave my pinky around his.

"I won't leave you again. Ever. I promise."

* * *

o o o

* * *

"Angel . . . do you think about your family a lot?" Karin asked as she helped Yuzu with dinner. Well, helped as in having me read the cookbook and she parroting back what I say. After the cookie-incident, Karin refused to have touch anything when it came to cooking.

"All the time," I replied, leaning against the counter and hooking a paper clip onto my red string. Karin twisted her face in confusion.

"Then . . . why don't you ever stay with them? I mean, we all love you being here and all, but wouldn't you want to stay around your family?"

I shrugged and flicked the paperclip around the string. This was much like the conversation I had with Ichigo when we first met. Giving a wolfish grin down to Karin, I stuck out my tongue. "If I was with my family, I wouldn't be here to tease you about burning the food!"

She huffed, and I knew my dodge around the question worked. How would I explain to her that I didn't even know how to get home?

I told Karin about my family before. Her reaction to me telling her I also had a twin sister made me laugh, causing her to scoff and stomp off with a scowl.

_So much like Ichigo,_ I thought, thinking of her face again.

"Help! Please! Someone help!"

The sound came from downstairs in the clinic. Curious, I slid through the floor to see a girl pounding on the door with a body slung over her shoulder. Ichigo ran downstairs and slammed the door open with a gasp.

"Please, save him!" she cried.

"Dad! Bring a stretcher here, quick!"

Mr. Kurosaki burst through the doors, pushing the stretcher on in front of him. Ichigo helped the girl move him onto the stretcher.

"What happened?" Mr. Kurosaki yelled.

The girl spoke through her tears. I flew behind Ichigo as he kept a hand on her shoulder - she looked to be around the same age as he was.

"The car! I-It just came out of n-nowhere!"

"And you carried him all the way here?"

She gulped. "It was right around the corner from here!"

Mr. Kurosaki nodded as the three ran into one of the clinic's rooms. "If this is true there may be others. The ambulance is going to take forever to get here, we can stablize him until then."

"W-What - can't you do anything here?!" The screamed. Ichigo held her back from stepping forward, in fear that she might accidently create more damage if she were to jump her brother.

I looked at the man, all beat up and bloodied. I remembered looking at myself after an accident, it was very similar.

I backed out of the room as Mr. Kurosaki tried to explain the situation, but the girl refused to accept it. After a while Ichigo began pulling her out of the room alongside me as his father dialed the phone with shaky hands.

"Please! Brother don't leave me!"

Mr. Kurosaki opened the double doors to bring the man in before motioning his head towards the girl.

"Son, keep her calm! I can't have her in here like this."

"Please, miss, you can't go in there!"

"THAT'S MY BROTHER!"

I ducked behind Ichigo. "Ichigo, take her into the waiting room and make her something to drink. You need to calm her down."

He nodded as a silent answer and practically dragged the girl down the hall.

"No! Let me go! I need to be with him!

Early morning part-timers scurried past us as we made it into waiting room. I sat next to the girl for a second. She looked exactly how Reed did when I died. Her eyes, her body, the way she shook under the fear of losing a loved one . . .

"Your brother is going to be fine. Please, calm down."

The girl rubbed her eyes as he set her into the chair.

"Now stay right here," Ichigo said in a stern voice. I smiled at him and glided by his side.

No matter how many times I see it, I was always surprised with how professional Ichigo acted when he was helping his father here in the clinic. He face was calm, with his eyes hardened to keep himself stern.

The girl nodded as she dried her eyes with the back of her sleeve. Ichigo ran up to the counter in the far corner and started making her a hot drink.

"She looks like a hot chocolate person," I commented as he stared at the multiple hot-drink maker. He nodded and began filling the cup.

I sat on the counter next to the coffee maker and looked at the girl. Yup. She only seemed to be about twelve, no older than Ichigo. Her hair was short and choppy, with the same orange color Ichigo had too, and large dark brown eyes.

"Angel," he whispered, not looking at me as he slowly stirred the drink with a stick.

"Yes, Ichigo?"

He rubbed his head; it was an irritated habit he seemed to pick up from me. "Would you mind if you went in and checked on her brother. It doesn't seem to look good."

With a soft smile, I nodded and flew through the doors.

The man didn't look any better than when I first saw him. His short, dark brown hair was covered in blood, dirt, and grime. He was tall, looking to be in his mid-twenties and shared the same facial features as his sister. The only difference from before and now is the bandages he had covering his wounds, but even i could tell it wouldn't be enough.

"What do you mean it'll be half an hour? Do you understand how critical of a condition this man is in! We don't have the proper equipment for a major surgery like!" Mr. Kurosaki was yelling into the phone, his back turned to me and the patient.

"YES IT'S THAT BAD! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME WHEN I SAID THIS MAN WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT, OR ARE YOU JUST STUPID?"

A flow of curses followed as he continued arguing with the person on the other line. I bit my lip, feeling that familiar sense of dread my sister carried with her when the doctors were arguing with my parents, though it was for different reasons.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Okay, I had to put emotional trauma aside. I needed to concentrate.

I opened my eyes. Red strings flooded my vision with different designs of crisscrosses. I turned, searching for the man's life-line.

_Where is it? Where _is _it_?

There!

I plucked the string with my two fingers. I was thin, feeling rough and tightened on my skin. The color was quickly turning into a faded pink.

I sighed sadly.

He didn't have much time left.

I gazed at the other strings, curious to know what this man may be like.

Plucking his family-line, I was met with a horrifying image of a man abusing a young version of the orange-haired girl in the waiting room. Then another of the man getting thrown into a dark room for several hours.

This man, did he and his sister come from an abusive home?

An abusive father, a prostitute mother . . .

It wasn't until I found the image of him kidnapping his sister in the middle of the night and taking her far away from that horrible place that I felt a little at peace.

Happy with this news, I glided through the doors just as Mr. Kurosaki slammed the phone down and cursed loudly. I was by Ichigo's side in an instant. He was awkwardly sitting next to the girl, the look on his face telling me he had no idea what to do.

Once Ichigo saw me, he said a few words and walked back to the counter, pretending to make another drink.

"How is she?" I asked.

He sighed. "Not good. They don't have any parents, 'm not sure what's going to happen. Did you find out anything?"

I nodded, the information I gathered still running fresh in my head. "His name is Sora Inoue. Age twenty-seven. Him and his sister ran away from a drunken father and prostitute mother when he was eighteen in fear that they would kill the girl."

"Any relatives?"

"A distant aunt who lives in America right now. They don't seem to interact with each other too much."

Ichigo was silent for a moment. "How is he?"

I deadpanned. With a small look at the boy, I slowly shook my head. "The ambulance isn't going to get here in time."

He rubbed his head and finished the makings of the new drink.

"Okay."

Gliding behind him, Ichigo stood in front of the girl with an emotionless expression.

"Miss," he said. She looked up at him with a crying hiccup. "Come with me."

"What are you doing?" Looking as confused as she.

Ichigo shrugged me off and the we both fell in step behind him.

He opened the double doors to the emergency room just as Mr. Kurosaki flew out.

"I'll be back! Watch and see if there are any more!" he yelled.

Ichigo said nothing. Instead, he motioned towards the bed at the end of the room. Looking at him for a second longer, as if afraid of the permission, the girl soon darted towards Sora.

"Oh brother!" She screamed.

Ichigo stood by the door with his arms crossed.

"Did you get her name?" I asked him. He nodded.

"It's kind of weird. It's Orihime. Why?"

I shrugged, a smug smile on my face. "No reason."

No reason. Haha, yeah right.

It was a good thing only I could notice how strong their bonding string was going to be as they got older.

"She's going to be a big part of your future, Kid."

* * *

A/N: :/ I'm not very fond of this chapter. Mainly because I rewrote the last half so many times, I think I made it worse than when I first wrote it T_T;; Sorry about that, hopefully I'll do better with the next chapter :)

Please review! They make my day~!


	9. Nine

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I had to get a lot of schoolwork done otherwise my mom wouldn't take me to go see Breaking Dawn (Which was SO GOOD by the way!) But now that I have free time, here you go! Again, sorry for the wait!

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Bookgal7**

**Hayate The Soul reaper:** Haha, you are very observant! Yeah, I think that since Angel showed up in his life around the time his mother died, he grew some sort of attachment to her, which may or may not be good for the psychological health of a child's mind, depending on the situation. Luckily this is anime, and thus things are 'good!' lol. Now, for the Hollow part, I can only say that you'll have to wait and see! ^_- Questions will be answered as time goes on and things will be explained, especially the difference between the shackle around Angel's neck and the chains that hang out of another ghost's chest. Oh! And I went back and found a few typos that I missed, hopefully, if there's more, someone will tell me and I can go back and fix it. :)

**givemehugs54:** You'll have to wait and see -_^ lol

**Shaybo27: **Oh don't worry, any anime or otaku would be just as crazy hahaha. Oh wow, you thought about my story during class? I don't know if I should be flattered or guilty for you getting a little behind xD And yes! You are the first one to notice or at least point out Ichigo and Angel's problem! You know what? I should find a way to give you some sort of prize for that, lol How about giving me a TV show (Even if I've already shown it) to quote from?

**Blackenflames:** You'll have to read and see~!

**XSkyeStarlX:** Spelling mistakes! Please do not hesitate to point them out! I'm horrible at spelling T_T;; and sometimes I mess up on punctuation too without realizing it. I'm so happy you like my story! Thank you for reviewing!

**MonsterOnSweets**

**niki**

* * *

AWAKE  
Nine

"You want to make things right? Too bad. Nothing's ever right."  
- Dr. House, _House_

Time of death: 8:35 PM.

Orihime screamed as they took his body out on another stretcher outside. Ichigo and I watched from a window as she held Sora's hand, her words covered with tearful sobs as she begged him not to leave her. She kept apologizing and apologizing, though for what, I didn't know.

"Brother, don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

The paramedics blocked her from entering the ambulance, while a woman in a black suit put a light hand on her shoulder.

"Social services will take care of her," I told Ichigo, wondering what he could possibly be thinking.

Ichigo was able to see ghosts, and his family ran a clinic. So death wasn't anything new to him. But we don't get serious cases such as this, so this was the first time Ichigo had been faced with death since his mother.

"She's going to be okay right? Can you see if she'll be okay?" He asked quietly.

I nodded and sat on the windowsill. "She's going to be fine. Happy even, I promise."

With nothing else to say, Ichigo turned and walked away. He shrugged off his coat and hung it on the rack.

"I'm going to bed."

I gave a soft smile and looked back out to watch the ambulance drive away. Orihime sat out there in the arms of a total stranger whispering soft words to her.

The woman in black was going to be the one taking care of her tonight. She would be the one to contact Orihime's distant relatives and sign the papers for emancipation in about two years. Next to Orihime was a clean, shaven man with short, dark brown hair and soft eyes. He looked at his sister with a frown and reached out to her. As soon as his hand connected to her shoulder, it slid right through, leaving a colored smoke-like substance behind.

He muttered something to himself before looking up at me.

I nodded my head to Sora, and with no surprise, his spirit faded away.

Maybe it was my imagination, but I couldn't help but notice one of his strings looked odd. Though most of them were severed, now that he no longer had contact with the living, I was able to see more of the strings around him.

I could have sworn one of them was black.

* * *

o o o

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Ichigo shook from the sudden outburst as I hovered above him with a glare. Opening the door to the school roof, we met with the cool spring breeze.

"What?" he asked.

I flew right up to his face and stood to the ground. Holding my hand on the top of my head, I steadily brought it forward, only to his the middle of Ichigo's forehead.

"You're finally taller than me!"

"You just noticed?" he laughed, rubbing the area I hit. I puffed out my cheeks and crossed my arms.

"You're not even thirteen yet! I'm fourteen, jeesh! That's two-whole-freaking _years_!"

"So. . .?"

I stomped my foot in a mock-Ichigo fashion and rubbed my head irritably. "You're growing too fast! Stop it!"

"You sound like a mother," he said with a role of his eyes.

"Well if you would quit eating steroids, you'd probably be a normal size!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and sat against the wall at the edge of the roof. "Oh stop it, you're just freakishly short. That's not my fault!"

With fake tears, I huddled in a 'corner' a ways from Ichigo with a dark aura.

I knew my freakishly small size would come up sooner or later. Hell, by the time the boy was ten, he was already my height. My younger sister was taller than me by half an inch! (Even though I'm five minutes older than her)

"Stop growing mushrooms on the school roof." Ichigo scolded as I began drawing shame circles on the ground.

"You're so mean to me . . . poking fun at my size, after everything I've done for you!"

He merely smirked and opened his bento.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"You're not still hung up on the size-thing, are you?" Ichigo asked with a sigh.

I turned away, floating next to him with my arms crossed.

"Stop pouting, shouldn't you be like, thirty by now or something?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Technically, I'd be seventeen."

He looked taken aback. "Seventeen? How long were you dead before you met me?"

"Umm . . ." I scrunched my face up in a sheepish expression, "About a day."

"A _DAY_?"

"Why is that so surprising?"

He blinked down at me (Damn you for growing taller!) and scratched his head. "I don't know, I just assumed you'd been dead for a while. You're kind of wearing warm clothes, by the least, it should have been winter."

That was right.

I looked down at hoodie. It was that morning that I switched out my ear muffs for my head phones. Lot of good that did me (enter rolling my eyes here). The next week was going to be Christmas . . .

"Time . . . probably differs for the dead." I shrugged. How did that make any sense? One minute it's December and then I end up in June?

I laughed to myself, ignoring Ichigo's confused face. Then again, I'm in an anime world - literally 'living' an otaku's _dream_ come true. I shouldn't judge about _that_. If this was _Naruto_ or _Hellsing_, I'd have had an undead heart-attack by now.

I mean, what are the odds that _I_ am currently living like a character in fanfiction?

Oh, the things I would do if I were a Mary-Sue . . .

". . . Angel?" Ichigo called, waving his hand in front of my face. I shook my head and swatted it out of the way.

"What?"

He scrunched up his nose, looking at me as if I were some sort of weirdo. "Your face was getting creepy."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

The nerve!

"It was not!"

He stuck his tongue out back. "It was to!"

"Was not!"

"Was to!"

* * *

o o o

* * *

Ichigo jumped into the nearest alley, only to find it was a dead end.

"Can't turn back now," he smirked, his eyes blazing with fire, ready for a fight.

"Oh god WHY!? WHY?"

"CALM DOWN ANGEL, JEESH!"

I flew in panicked circles, scrambling my hair furiously as the footsteps behind us got louder.

"NEVER TELL A GIRL TO CALM DOWN! HAVE YOU LOST IT - NOW YOU JUST MADE THINGS WORSE, YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME TO _CALM DOWN_!"

Ichigo rubbed the inside of his ear with his pinky, a blank expression on his face. "I'm surprised you're not used to this by now. This isn't the first time my hair has gotten me into trouble."

I sunk to my knees and leaned against the wall. "Oh Ichigo, if only you could understand the panic you put me through." He scoffed, looking up, looking to the side. But it was already too late, there was no escape.

"Found 'em!" One of the men yelled. It wasn't long before we were surrounded.

Outnumbered, twelve to one. Four surrounded Ichigo, and as each attacked, Ichigo easily kicked them out of the way.

"Angel, I'm not forcin' you to stay here," he muttered before dodging a punch. I nearly screamed as two men came up behind him and managed to grab him by the arms.

"The rumors are true, this guy is talkin' to himself," one of the men bellowed. I bit my lip, flying around the three in desperation, as if there was a chance.

This isn't the first time Ichigo had been attacked. If it wasn't one thing it was another. I didn't have to look at his personality line to know that he was literally a magnet for trouble.

But his hair wasn't the only reason the leader of this little gang was angry with him. Ichigo was talking to me, and without realizing that he was yelling at someone at the same time when we got into an argument about . . . It must have been so stupid, because I don't even remember what it was about now.

The leader of this gang stepped up to the front, a giant smirk on his face. His was very ugly (oh the cliche!) with an eighty's afro-looking hair and an unshaven face. A silver ring protruded from his bottom lip. He carefully slid what looked to be brass knuckles between his fingers and smirked.

"Oh my _god_, you guys are like, in the 8th grade! What the hell are you doing with WEAPONS?"

"Shut up, Ang!" Ichigo snapped.

"You think you're real tough, don'cha, Kid?" The gang-leader laughed. He fawned over the blunt weapon in his hands.

I floated between the man and Ichigo.

Even though he couldn't see me.

Even though I had no power to do anything.

My eyes burned, and with that man's ugly face I was almost happy I knew his future wasn't going to be so bright.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, I can't do anything!"

He spat, the saliva mixed with the red liquid of blood running down his lip. "Angel," he said, not caring that the others could hear him. "I know you can't go far, but please . . . get out of here. I don't want you to see this."

"Well SUCK IT, because I'm not leaving!" I snapped.

If I'm so useless, unable to do anything . . . at least I could stay with him.

I snorted at the sorry excuse, wishing at this moment I could cry. The dead didn't cry. No tears for a life that has already ended, right?

I'm like those vampires from that series _Twilight_.

God, I hate _Twilight_.

The man lifted his fist, and as Ichigo braced himself for the impact -

The man went flying . . .

I gasped, looking up as I floated behind Ichigo. A man stood there, with dark skin and brown hair hovering over his eyes. The man could have been in his early twenties by his looks, but the years shown on his lifeline made me do a double-take.

Holy _crap_! This guy was the same age as Ichigo!

The shock on my face was clearly evident, for Ichigo took it as alarm and began struggling harder against the gangs hold.

"Who the hell-?" The leader spat, receiving help from his lackies to get back onto his feet.

The dark-skinned man was so big, it took nearly all of the gang leader's men to surround him in an attempt to hold him down. Beaten and forgotten, Ichigo collapsed to the ground.

"Ichigo!" I screamed. He held a hand to stop me from checking any of his injuries, and looked up. The same man who seemed to have saved his life still stood there.

"Is he . . . is he just taking the hits liek they're nothing?" he asked himself. Confused, I turned to see that the man was, indeed, taking every hit with a stone face from the leader with the brass knuckles.

"Who is he?" Ichigo asked.

I bit my lip, stuck between worry for Ichigo and more than-concern for the tall stranger.

Ichigo attempted to sit up and cough hoarsely. "Ichigo, we should just go while we have the chance!"

"Feh!" He spat and stood on shaky legs, holding his stomach. "Like hell! I'm not leaving this guy to take all the wrap. Just stand back, Ang, this is gonna get messy."

"IT'S ALREADY MESSY!"

He ignored me, and with another deep breath, Ichigo stepped forward.

"Hey! Potato-Head!" The man stopped his beating (or I should say, 'attempted' beating) and turned around.

"You've got business with me! Didn't anyone tell you not to turn your back on an opponent!?"

And with the rest of his strength, Ichigo dashed towards the man.

I stood in the background and rubbed my head with a sigh. Typical Ichigo.

_Dear Reed,_

_I have to say, I wish I had the chance to watch this show earlier. Then, maybe I wouldn't be having a phantom heart-attack every three seconds._

Hopefully, things will get a little better in the future.

It will, right?

Yeah . . . Stupid question.

* * *

A/N: Umm . . . if you haven't figured it out already . . . I suck at fight scenes, mainly because I've never written them before xD So hopefully I'll get better and less hesitant about them once the real 'fun' begins.

Again! Sorry for the late update! I was also kind of stuck on this chapter too, but hey, thinking about future events always gets me hyped up to write more just so I can get to it *large grin*

Review please! And tell me what you think!

I know you know that I know you want to!

(P.S. - This is a very big question: If I were to make a POTC story [with a bunch of chapters written out before actually positng, since I have a lot on my plate already] who would actually want to read it?)


	10. Ten

A/N: Ahh, and so, we are about to conclude from the beginning arc to the actual start of the series. Depending on how far I decide to write, I think this chapter and the next are going to be the last before we head on to the series :)

ANOTHER NOTE! I totally had a stupid moment while writing the end-author's note last chapter, hahaha When I was asking about the writings of another fanfiction, I wrote POTC by force of habit. For those who don't know, POTC is **Pirates of the Caribbean**. I was wondering if anyone would be interested if I wrote a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction. It's going to be a fun-read, and I'm not really into romance in that category. I know you won't know until I at least give a summary but for those who are fans of the fandoms, what do you think?

_**Special Thanks To: **_**You all get virtual Ichigo-shaped choco-chip cookies! Because, I'm like, awesome xD**

**MonsterOnSweets:** Yup! That's Chad, hahaha!

**the hotpocket hunter: **I seem to get that a lot o.o lol with the OC's thing, but that really is my goal - to stray away from the cliche's of an OC (Especially ones that travel from our world), though sometimes it may slip through my fingers without knowing xD

**Blackenflames:** Oh gosh, not the unicorns! xD

**Bookgal7:** Yeah the Twilight bit was kind of a last minute decision, lol. I find myself always mentioning the franchise in some way or another in my fanfics because of its popularity (and occasional hate) with the world, and then thought, 'I have yet to have a Twilight hater in my fanfics' lol

**Hayate The Soul Reaper:** Your reviews are one of the ones I look forward to the most x3 Mainly because they're so long, lol. I'm sorry for the long wait! As for the fight between Tatsuki and Ichigo, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to write the scene exactly, but it will definitely be included. However, this event doesn't actually happen until Ichigo first gets into high school, which is probably going to be in the next chapter =D

**Shaybo27:** Oh, well its good you got an A on whatever you were doing xD You sound like my friend KooleyAid, who I usually find texting me in the middle of class (I'm homeschooled so it's not so much an issue for _me_) but getting everything done anyways. I just recently became a fan of Merlin thanks to you xD As I was looking for quotes, I stumbled upon tumblr and found a few gifs portraying some hilarious scenes. I should thank you for that as well! Hahaha! Ooh, you're a fan of Byakuya. Just wait 'till you see what I have in store for him, mwahaha.

* * *

AWAKE  
Ten

**Quote Gift for Shaybo27**

"Some choices are easy. Some . . . stay with you forever."  
- _Merlin_

I groaned in annoyance as Ichigo finished off the last of the gang.

"See? I told you there was nothing to worry about," He sighed before giving a last kick to one of the minion's stomach. The alleyway was littered with beaten bodies, either knocked out or gasping for air.

"Why do you do this to me? Getting into fights and beating people to a pulp - as amusing as it is to watch, you're going to give me a serious undead heart-attack one of these days."

Ichigo smirk and shoved a hand into the pocket of his school uniform. As if he just noticed, he examined the tear in his other sleeve. "Oh damn, Yuzu is going to be pissed when she finds out that I ruined my uniform again."

I rolled my eyes. "Well she did just patch up the holes you made in your other one . . ."

"Are you okay?" A monotone-voice spoke. I jumped from the sudden noise, and with a lazy turn of his head, Ichigo blinked at the dark-skinned man from before.

"Oh, you're still here?" he asked.

"Ichigo, don't be rude to the person who just helped save your sorry ass."

He made a face, knowing that I seemed to only curse when I was angry at him. "Yeah, yeah," waving me off, he walked up to the man. I puffed my cheeks out in irritation while making choking motions towards his neck.

"One of these days, you brat." I muttered.

"Hey, thanks for helping me," Ichigo said. He squinted his eyes to read the faded kanji of the man's uniform, "Chad?"

"My name is Yasutora Sado."

Ichigo waved him off, much like he did to me. I rolled my eyes at his indifference. He did another look over the man and looked taken aback.

"Hey, that's a school uniform . . . You go to the same middle school as me?! Aren't you like, twenty or something!?"

The man shook his head. "I'm in the eighth grade. I just started recently."

Ichigo's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I really wished I could've reached over to close it like people do in cartoons.

"To think I would've noticed a guy like you in our school . . ."

"No offence, but you're not all that good with remembering faces . . . or names . . . or people for that matter." I said with a laugh.

He ignored me, so I just stuck my tongue out at him.

"So where are you from?"

"Okinawa."

Finally, with an accepting sigh, Ichigo held out his hand.

"Well, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

* * *

x x x

* * *

I decided I liked that kid, Yasutora Sado.

"Why didn't you tell me that he went to the same school as me?" Ichigo asked when we arrived home. He set his school bag down on his bed and collapsed on top. Stretching out his sore limbs, I took my usual spot by his desk (he always left the chair out for me).

"Because . . . I didn't know?" I have no idea why that came out as a question.

"It's not like I keep tabs on every member of your school, ya'know."

"Don't you just automatically . . . I don't know . . . _know_ things?"

He was talking about my ability. I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "It doesn't work that way, at least, not anymore. My powers have actually faded compared to when I was alive."

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged and stretched out on the desk. "I don't know. I mean, when I was alive, I actually had to do small things to help keep the world balanced. Cliche for a girl with super powers, I know. But I've told you how there were only thirty-six other children with my same abilities, but we each have a job and a different . . . how should I say this? . . . _Power_ with said ability. Seeing the red strings of fate . . . it's a lot more than just looking how long a person has to live or who's lives they may affect with their mere presance."

"I don't understand," Ichigo said with a scratch to his head. "I thought your job was to make sure people who need to meet each other, meet, or something like that."

I shook my head, wondering just how to put into words what I didn't even fully understand yet.

"Let me start over. Oh how I wish I could write this down-" i pursed my lips and scratched my cheek with one finger. "All of us with this ability, we have to keep the world in balance. But the thing is, we each have a different job, and that corresponds with what we're able to see or what actions we're able to take.

"It's not easy, especially if you're higher up in the 'numbers'. The amount of power you have depends on what position you're in; we're each numbered, from one to thirty six. I'm actually one of the weakest members, which is why my awareness of the world is more towards normal person. Those of us with the lesser powers are called 'Keepers'."

"Wait," he held his hand up for me to stop. "So you're saying that, since you guys are 'numbered' or whatever, the higher you are, the weakest you are?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"And the lower rank you are, the more power you seem to have,"

"It's not like we're able to make trashcans explode with our mind. But yes, that is also correct. However, it comes with a price. Children who are in the lower numbers, mostly those between the positions one and ten, are called Holders. They have too much power, too much knowledge; they're only human, so their bodies force their minds to function differently - creating symptoms that match autism or schizophrenia - to deal with it.

"That's why I don't fully understand everything, because I'm a Keeper. Heck, I'm lucky I even know what I see. Kids around my position either don't notice what they're able to do, or don't understand it at all."

"I think I'm beginning to understand this better . . ." Ichigo laid down on his back and looked up at the ceiling in awe. "It seems like a lot to put on the shoulders of kids, don't you think?"

"Not really," I shrugged. "If we really need help, like the Holders with severe autism, we find a Guardian - usually a relative, like a parent, or close friend. That person knows of our abilities, and finds a way to communicate with their Holder and the world."

"Holders, Keepers, Guardians. You should be telling me about the Toothfairy while you're at it," He muttered under his breath. I made a glum face at him.

"We've known each other for _how_ long, and you're finding this hard to believe?"

He waved me off and turned to his side. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're very special." He sighed.

"You mentioned that all of you have a different extra ability?"

"Oh yeah!" I smacked my forehead. "I almost forgot about that!"

"Airhead."

"Hush!" I scolded before clearing my throat. "I don't really know what other kids can do, but I seem to have a 'Cause and Effect' control."

He made a face, one telling me he didn't quite understand. "You lost me again."

"I'm really bad at explaining things," I laughed. "Let's just say, I can drop a quarter, cause a car to catch on fire. I create a spark, I could make an entire city lose power. I keep a studying person up all night, they fail their test, lose their temper, and then meet their soul mate on their way to juvi."

I looked at me and blinked once. Twice.

"You call that kind of power _little_!?"

I pursed my lips. "Yeah that is kind of weird, isn't it?"

He laughed. "So you could stop a death from three miles away by simple throwing a rock?"

"With the right setting, yeah, most likely."

Ichigo had a bright grin on his face. His eyes widened in pure amazement as he sat up and put his hands on his knees. He leaned forward, awe and wonder was evident on his features. I couldn't help but smile and chuckle back at that expression - it was a look I hadn't seen him wear in a while; it was just like the time I first told him about what I could do.

"Seriously? Do you-Do you think you could show me?"

I immediately frowned. Catching the look, Ichigo shook his head. "I mean, I know you can't throw anything, but you could tell me what to do and make something small happen, nothing dangerous or anything."

"It's not that," I murmured, and then took a long breath. "It's just . . . I haven't been able to even see how it could be done since I died."

"I don't get it. How could you suddenly _not know_ how to do something anymore? You can still see those red strings of fate, can't you?"

I shrugged, biting my bottom lip. "I don't know, but even _that_ is a lot harder to work with. I figured, that with my cause and effect ability, it disappeared because I can no longer control it. I can't even touch anything, what point is having a power when you can't do anything with it?"

It was silent for a long moment, and only then did I realize exactly how I sounded. Not being able to hold hands with the child I watched grow up, not being able to protect the person I had grown to love . . . I was dead, things such a pain, sadness, fear - it was nearly gone. But the phantom memory of that feeling was still there.

"Sorry, I'm rambling again -"

At that moment Ichigo stood up so quickly, I didn't even see him take the four steps to kneel in front of me. I squeaked at the sudden movement.

"What are you -?"

"You miss it, don't you?" he asked in a low voice. I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"Textures, contact - feeling physical pain is the one thing that tells someone you're human. But still being here, still being a part of this word . . . I don't know how hard it must be for you."

Words so sincere. After the years had passed, it was now that Ichigo finally understood how I must feel not being able to do anything. Being a part of this world, and yet not being a part of this world . . . I literally couldn't _do __**anything**_.

Ichigo slowly brought his hand up to my face. The pale flesh of his fingers hovered in the air next to my right cheek. Hesitantly, as if hoping by some miracle that something, _anything_, would happen, he ran along the area where our skins were to touch.

I wanted to feel it. I wanted to the feel of warmth of his skin to replace the hollow, cold feeling I felt inside.

His fingers slid straight through the air, leaving the small trail of skin-colored smoke in its wake.

* * *

o o o

* * *

"You're school is so _boring_. More boring than the last school I went to. And buddy, that's really saying something because I lived in _Utah_." I whined as I sat in the empty desk next to Ichigo.

The boy was currently looking through his school bag (More like his school suitcase) for something, ignoring me.

"I think I left something back at home," with a sigh, he scooted out of his chair and tossed the case over his shoulder.

"You only have five minutes until the bell rings, you can't leave now!"

He gave me a knowing smirk. Suddenly, I smacked my forehead and gave an annoyed grunt. "Don't tell me you're going to-"

Slamming open the window his desk was conveniently placed next to, Ichigo hopped over the ledge.

"Skip . . . school . . ." My eyes narrowed in irritation as I looked down below. "We're on the second floor! And . . . EH!? HEY D-DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND! ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME DISAPPEAR?"

He gave a hearty laugh as I flew down until I was finally flying next to him. I glared at him with the intensity of an angry puppy.

"I don't know why you keep nagging about me skipping school, I don't do it often. Besides, no one cares about homeroom."

I huffed and crossed my arms. "Why am I not surprised? You never listen to me when I talk to you!"

"I do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

We both scowled at each other before stubbornly looking away. His pace slowed by then, and we were heading towards the bridge when we heard a bunch of yelling.

"Is that Chad?" Ichigo asked, though it was more like he was asking himself.

A couple of familiar guys were pounding Chad in the stomach. But instead of doing anything, even dodging the punches, he just stood there.

"Why the hell is he just standing there? By the very least, move!" Ichigo growled.

"Oh no!" I gasped, watching one of the two men grab a boulder out of the grass.

Ichigo ran. I didn't even get the chance to notice he left my side before watching him jump kick the guy in the face. Without touching the ground, Ichigo's legs had wrapped around the next guy's neck and flipped him down into the ground.

"Okay, I'm not going to complain _this _time!" I yelled before drifting over to the scene.

"Damn, you guys just broke my record," Ichigo frowned and dusted off his hands. The two men, who I've finally recognized to have gotten in a fight with Ichigo last month, dragged themselves off the ground and glared at him.

"Not you again!" The long-haired one yelled. Shaking, he sprinted up the hill, and slipped once as the other man with shorter, darker screamed like a child and followed quickly behind.

"You almost made a week without getting into fights. I'm still proud of you," I hummed, landing by Ichigo's side.

"Shut up, Ang."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Ichigo turned back to Chad, who now lay in the grass looking at the medallion in his hands. I glided to the spot next to him and looked curiously at the markings on it.

"Ooh . . . shiny."

"I don't get it Chad, why were you just standing there?"

"It's Sado," he corrected, looking up from the medallion.

"Sado, Chad, whatever. The point is, if I hadn't come along, you would've gotten your brains bashed out with a rock just now. You're ridiculously strong! Why would you just stand there and let those two punks wail on you like that? Why couldn't you just fight back like the time you saved my ass?"

Chad stayed silent for a moment. Out of pure curiosity (and some good knowledge about the traditional 'pasts of sorrow' most characters have in anime) I tilted my head and searched through his strings of fate.

Ahh, his middle finger on the left hand. A strong red string was held there, and I wasn't surprised that there was only one there, since it was his sense for right and wrong. It represented the 'Balance Wheel' of his personality, and also showed who inspired his new ways of life.

Chad sat himself up, dropping the golden coin to hang back around his neck. "I made a promise to my _abuelo_ that I would never use my fists for my own sake. It's a vow I made to my _abuelo_."

"A-wah? Is that a name?" Ichigo asked.

"_Abuelo_ means 'Grandfather'. His name is Oscor Joaquin De La Rosa."

Ichigo and I mirrored the same expression. One that included a pink background and confusing swirls surrounding our faces.

"Is this guy nuts?" I asked.

"I think it mean's he's spanish . . ." Ichigo replied quietly.

I looked closer at Chad - er - Sado's face. "No, I think he's more Mexican . . ."

I could see it now, like a flow of film running past my eyes. Chad wasn't always the statue of a person he seems now. He was a little punk at a young age; always getting into fights, starting them for no reason. But then someone came along. This certain someone changed his views, taught him to use his strength for the better, but unforunately . . .

I looked at the cut string around his other finger.

Ichigo decided to sit down in the grass next to Sado at that moment. He spread his legs out in front of him and stretched. "Aw, whatever. What's that thing you wear around your neck anyways? Is it valuable?"

I almost thought he was talking to me before Sado spoke, holding out the medallion between his fingers again. "Hm. Oh, you mean this. Absolutely. Probably worth more than my life."

"It looks like some foreign coin," Ichigo observed.

"You're such a genius Ichigo. Go on, state something else obvious, like the grass is green and the sky is blue."

He glared at me, but I just gave him an innocent smile.

Sado couldn't catch our silent conversation, and as he explained that the coin was indeed from Mexico, I couldn't help but snicker at Ichigo's annoyed expression. Something seemed to catch his eye though, because he scooted down to the bottom of the hill to pick up a light blue flip-phone.

"Hey, who's cell phone?"

"It must belong to one of those guys who took off earlier. I guess the thing to do is give it back to them."

Though I admired Sado's good nature, I gave a grin to Ichigo and pointed at the river.

"Forget that! You should throw it in the river!"

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Are you sure he's going to be okay walking home by himself?" I asked Ichigo as we crossed the bridge. He didn't even glance back.

"Nah, those guys are long gone. I'm sure he'll be fine. But if he thinks that standing there and taking a beating is going to do any good in the future, he better not expect me to save his ass every time."

"Hmm," I hummed, smiling for apparently no reason. Ichigo gave me one look and nearly stopped in his tracks.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing, I'm just proud."

He furrowed his brow. "Proud? Of what? I half expected you to start scolding me because I got into a fight again."

"I don't scold you when the other party starts it! Give me some credit, it'd be shameful just to watch you keep running whenever someone decides to throw the first punch. But you actually fought for someone else this time, I'm proud of you Ichigo."

"Feh," Ichigo huffed. "What would make you think any different? I owed that guy anyways."

"Yeah but he has a point. I don't totally agree with just standing there and taking the punch - trust me, even I've been there. But I like how he's set his morals straight."

Ichigo gave me a weird look. "I've never heard you praise somebody this much. What's wrong with you?"

Floating on my back with my hands behind my head, I giggled. "He's also kinda cute."

Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks and I laughed at the pitiful glare he gave me.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"'He's going to be alright,' you said. 'There's nothing to worry about!' you said!" I nearly screeched at Ichigo as the men came into view. They were under the same bridge we met nearby that same morning.

"Would you stop nagging me, Ang?! How was I supposed to know he was going to get attacked after school?! That guy better be lucky someone saw him get hit from behind and got away to tell me!"

Would the fights ever end? I don't know why I keep asking myself that. This was an action-packed anime, and Ichigo was . . . well . . . Ichigo. I was generally a peaceful person, not one to take confrontations well because I actually had a somewhat normal and happy life. Even Reed wasn't one for fighting, though she loved watching it even in real life.

When a kid rushed into the classroom, announcing to his friends loudly that a Yasutora Sado was attacked and taken by punks from a rivaling middle school, Ichigo couldn't jump out of that window fast enough for the second time that day.

And somehow he knew exactly where to look. Most gang fights happened around that bridge, mainly because people rarely walked passed it after a new, shorter route to the other housing areas was created.

I could see them now. Sado was tied to a chair with thick ropes, while surrounded by about five or six mean. Ichigo's pace seemed to get even faster, so much that even my flying was having a hard time keeping up.

Faster, faster, his feet pushed himself off the ground, smacking straight into what I assumed as the leaders face. He grabbed something out of the man's hand and gave the rest of the group a smirk.

With a proud grin, I couldn't help but yell, "OH! SUCK IT!"

I finally caught up, seeing the Sado's medallion in Ichigo's hand the wire cutters in the other man's.

"Thanks," Ichigo yelled, holding the golden coin between his fingers.

I recognized two of the men in the group immediately - the man with the light brown, shoulder length hair, and a badly-shaved man with dark, thick glasses.

"Not you again!" The latter yelled out in anger.

Ichigo ignored them as he bent down to dig through the leader's pockets.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, though for what reason I didn't know. "Don't you know it's rude to dig through stranger's pockets? By the very least, ask the man his name first! Common courtesy!"

"I could be robbing this guy, and the fact that he's just a _stranger_ is what you're complaining about?"

"You talk to me like I'm sinless!"

"Why the heck are you named 'Angel' then?"

I puffed out my cheeks. "Because _you_ gave me that name!"

"HEY! You've got a lot of nerve goin' through the Weasel's pockets!"

I snickered at their boss's nickname. "_Weasel_? THAT'S the name he comes up with?"

"Oh, found it." Said Ichigo as he took out the man's cell. He flipped it open and began typing in a number. I floated over his shoulder and became confused when I saw the him putting in '119'.

"Are you trying to dial 911?" I asked, feeling stupid as soon as I said it.

"That's only in America."

"Hey! Weasel! Are you alright?" the man with glasses called out again.

The man I have now officially named 'Weasel' lifted up his head, the golden nose-to-earring chain seemed to be caught on his shirt and made him wince.

"You bastards! I told you not to call me Weasel! How many ti-"

"Oh shut up." Ichigo commanded whilst bringing his foot down onto the man's face.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." I laughed.

On the phone, the other line finally picked up and he smiled gratefully. "Oh? Hello. I'd like to request an ambulance."

"Eh? Ambulance?" The long-haired one asked. "You coward! You think you can run off with Sado before even fighting us! Don't underestimate us you bastard!"

With a dull look telling me he was ignoring them (a common expression he gave me), he continued. "The location is under the bridge in second block. Huh? Number of ambulances? Umm . . ."

He looked up and pointed his finger to each man in the group. "1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5."

With a famous smirk, Ichigo dropped his hand

"Yup, five of 'em will do."

I sighed. "You should really become a comedian, Ichigo."

* * *

A/N: Ta-da! A chapter mostly filled with Chad, I hope you little fangirls are happy with me and of course will **review**! Bwahahaha. It was pretty long too, don't you think?

Chad commands you!

. . . please?


	11. Eleven

A/N: Ah~! The moment we've all been waiting for! Kukukuku . . . Sort of . . . Again, sorry for the long wait, I seriously had no idea how I was going to do the fight at the end, and then I had no idea where to put it without the story sounding too cut-off at the end or losing it's tone at the beginning . . . and . . . yeah, I decided to just tack it on at the end because I promised it would be in this chapter, so sorry if this chapter of them all isn't my best work.

On the bright side! Next chapter is (drum roll please!)

!Bum, bum, bum!

THE START OF THE SERIES! BAHAHAHA! AT LONG LAST!

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Scaehime-KingofKing's Daughter:** The ambulance scene has to be one of my favorite scenes in the series xD I'm so glad you like my fanfic! Now, for the whole konso thing, yes! The OC ghost kid Ichigo was konso'd, but he might just make a later appearance in this story :P I wouldn't really call this an 'Author Lands in Bleach' fanfic, considering that Angel is not me in anyway because self-inserts to me would make the story boring xD

**StalkNightPanther**

**Shaybo27:** Haha, wow, have you ever thought of the possibility that you might be psychic? Lol, when it ocmes to tests, I'm one of those people who, no matter how long I study, I end up failing the exam anyways - unless I read through it the morning of *rolls eyes* I have the worst student-condition, I have to say, I'm super jealous of you! Merlin is so awesome. I've been dying this past weekend because the internet was cut off and I just started on season 2, which I'm watching on Netflix. Oh yes, poor, poor Angel must suffer through lots of thing just because she's around Ichigo xD

**Bookgal7:** Well wait no longer! Because here that particular chapter is! And it also happens to be the last of Ichigo's Childhood arc *wipes tear away* they grow up so fast! Thank you for being patient with me, I'm hoping it was worth the wait!

**MonsterOnSweets:** Oh trust me, if Angel had her way, Ichigo's butt would've been beat a million times over for all the worry he's put her through xD

**Ducky the Insomniac Panda**

**givemehugs54**

**Blackenflames:** Whoohoo! No getting stabbed by unicorns today! xD

* * *

AWAKE  
Eleven

"**Dread comes unannounced and then consumes our feelings with its irrational sense of doom. **Dread is persistent. It gnaws at you. You can't ignore it; it just won't go away. Because that's what dread is. It's worrying about something you can't do anything about."  
- Allison DuBois, _Medium_

Ichigo ran in and out of his room, looking for his school supplies which was seemingly scattered all over the house. I could hear him fumble with his uniform, and he was mumbling to himself about not being woken up earlier and missing breakfast because of it.

"The sky is so dark today," I muttered. Something wasn't right, even if the weather was bright and shiny.

"Angel! Are you listening?"

I turned from the bedroom window. "I'm sorry, what?"

Ichigo groaned in frustration. "C'mon, let's just go!"

With one last look out the window I followed him down the stairs. Ichigo into the kitchen where Yuzu was currently cooking breakfast. Karin sat with a bored look on her face, stuffing her mouth with scrambled eggs at the table.

"Hey Karin!" I greeted as Ichigo grabbed a piece of toast off the plate on the counter. "Tell Yuzu I said hi!"

"Catch you guys later!" Ichigo shouted. He ran out the door, and with a nod from Karin, I followed behind.

"Wait! Aren't you going to have breakfast!?" Yuzu shouted.

"Sorry Yuzu! I'll be back before noon! Just leave it there and I'll eat it later!"

"But it'll be cold by then!"

I popped my head back into the kitchen.

"Not if you wrap the plate with tin-foil! Karin could you -"

"Yeah, yeah, just get going." Karin sighed. I clasped my hands together with a grateful smile.

"Thank you!"

I met Ichigo outside. "You seem pretty eager for your frist day, even if it's just the opening ceremony."

He rolled his eyes, "I promised to meet Chad before it started."

I giggled and floated on my back. Poor Ichigo, having to run . . .

"Wow, you're first day of high school! Where have the years gone?"

"Don't tell me you're going to get all sappy now,"

I frowned and flipped to my stomach. I rested my chin on my folded arms. "You can hardly blame me. I've known you since you were barely reaching my waist! Now look at you, taller than me! It's not fair!"

Wow, has it really been so long? I remember when Yuzu and Karin were burning cookies, now Yuzu's making breakfast every morning and cleaning the house!

The years have done wonders. Though I was disappointed when Karin pointed out the fact that I was now shorter than Ichigo, barely reaching his shoulders even on my toes. I growled at the memory of his teasing and puffed out my cheeks.

"Brat," I muttered.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Ah, made it!" Ichigo breathed heavily as he keeled over to catch his breath. I crossed my arms and gave him a look.

"I told you, you need to start looking for an alarm clock. But do you listen to me? No. No one likes listening to Angel - things would be better if people just listened to Angel, but do people listen to Angel? No! Because no one likes listening to Angel!"

He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his ear with his pinky-finger. "I kind of wish other people could listen to you, then you wouldn't be nagging _me_ all day."

I opened my mouth to retort something, only to feel someone walk through me and give me an agonizing chill. I shuddered, wondering just what the heck came over me.

The man seemed to be another student, with a tall, lean figure and an average height. He had straight, chin-length blue-black hair that framed both sides of his face, and bright blue eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses. He was wearing the same school uniform as Ichigo.

He was thumbing through a book when he accidently bumped into Ichigo's shoulder.

"My apologies," he immediately said, looking up.

Ichigo didn't blink twice before replying with a, "It's all right."

I peered curiously at the other boy, my vision immediately clouded with red strings. I rubbed the side of my arm, still remembering the chill I got when he passed right through me.

What was I looking for? His life line, it was the first thing that came mind -

"Hey, Ang, are you okay? You seem kind of out of it today," Ichigo said, waving a hand in front of my face. I shook my head and gave him an assuring smile.

"It's nothing," I said. But that feeling was back. The unavoidable darkness that was just drifting in the air. Could he not feel it? Or was it just my imagination?

I shook my head once again and followed Ichigo through the school gates.

"What class are you in this time?"

Ichigo looked closely at the school roster and pointed at his name on the third piece of paper. "Class 1-3. And hey! Chad is in the same class too!"

I clapped childishly. "Yay! My boredom can be tamed by eye candy!"

Ichigo cringed. "_Please_ don't be weird."

"You're so mean to me," I sniffled. He rubbed his head irritably and took the steps into the school building.

"Speaking of Chad, where is he anyway?"

I held one finger up and grinned. "I can help with that."

I turned the opposite direction we were heading and pointed down the hall. "He is . . . that-a-way!"

A large sweat-drop sunk down the back of Ichigo's head. "It's creepy how you do that . . ."

I scowled. "Fine! Then next time, _you_ can find him by yourself!"

He said nothing and went down the direction I pointed.

"You think you're real tough! Don't 'ya kid?" A rough, angered voice yelled.

"Principle! I have to get the principle!" Another meek voiced yelled before a man with dark hair and large glasses ran past us.

"Huh?" Ichigo looked confused, and was about to call out for the man to stop him.

"Oh no," I whined, groaning out a pathetic whine and face-palming.

Sado was currently having a face-down with a weirdly shaped man who was having a bad banana-colored hair day. I wasn't surprised when Ichigo took immediate action after assessing the situation.

"It's the first day of school!" I cried. Ichigo slipped off his bag, gave me a smirk . . .

And pounced.

* * *

x x x

* * *

Two faces went flying through the window, shattered glass flying in all directions. I just noticed that the same window was hidden behind the board of class rosters, and sighed at it now being broken in half.

Ichigo and Sado currently had their feet stuck in the faces of Banana-Man's goonies, who ran out the front door like a normal person.

"You _broke_ a _window_!" I screeched, flying around the broken glass as if I could find a magical way to either cover up this fact, or fix it.

"That's okay, there's no reason to kick people's faces through the _door_. You know, like a normal person."

"You're very whiney this morning!" Ichigo growled. I flew into his face with a glare.

"Ichigo Kurosaki if you get expelled on the first day of school, I WILL FIND A WAY TO _EAT YOU_!"

He rubbed his ear for the second time that day.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening!"

I turned to the owner of the voice who seemed to be freaking out more than I was. He was a student around Ichigo's age, with short brown hair spiking out at his shoulders and bangs framing around his face. His dark eyes were flowing with waterfall-tears and a horrified expression was clear on his face.

"Ahh! Ichigo Kurosaki _and_ Yasutora Sado! No, why me!? Why me! WHY ME? This is like some terrible nightmare that just keeps getting worse! It's a nightmare! TELL ME IT'S A NIGHTMARE!"

"Please shut up." Another boy said heartlessly with a blank look.

I blinked twice, then motioned toward the boy currently having a nervous break-down.

"You see what I mean!? YOU JUST MADE THIS RANDOM PERSON HAVE A BREAK DOWN! - HEY, DON'T IGNORE ME!"

I growled loudly as Ichigo merely rubbed his ear. He and Sado were currently surrounded by more of the Banana-Man's gang.

His name was actually Reiichi Oshima, a known thug who went to a lower-class middle school before coming here. But I called him Banana-Man, simply because he apparently thought dying his hair yellow made him look . . . thug-like . . .

"We're all gonna die." I said simply.

"Honestly, Angel. How many times must we go over this?" Ichigo sighed, not bothering to keep his voice down. After spending so much time with Ichigo, I think Sado was used to him 'talking' to himself.

Banana-Man gave an ugly grin and laughed. "Ha, ha! Chad and Ichigo, running away. Like two scared little girls."

"OH NO IT'S REIICHI OSHIMA FROM KOTAKA JR. HIGH!"

"Hey Keigo, how is it you're so well-informed about all these juvenile delinquents? And . . . I don't know if you've noticed but all their names are on our class roster . . ."

"Oh he's cute~" I observed, poking my head above Ichigo's shoulder.

The boy who seemed to be neutral about these wild events had short bluish hair and a roundish baby face. His eyes were a gray-blue, and a single strand of hair hung down between his eyes.

Ichigo face-palmed and rubbed it down his face to reveal his narrowed eyes. "I'm starting to notice you think everyone is cute," he muttered.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You make it sound like a crime. Oh look! He's coming this way!"

The boy held his hand out to Ichigo, who in turn ignored said hand and gave him a blank look.

"Mizuiro Kojima in class 1-3. It's very nice to meet you."

We ignored the faint cries of his friend Keigo just then.

_"Mizuiro! I'm gonna die! MIZUIRO! DON'T MAKE FRIENDS WITH THEM, OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO DIE!"_

I giggled at Mizuiro's cute face. "Wow! He's cuter up close!"

"Class 1-3? We're all in the same class then. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, and this here is Chad Yasutora. It's good to meet 'ya."

Once again trying to ignore my fangirling gushy-ness, Ichigo turned his head to see that Keigo fellow being stepped on by the foot of Mr. Banana-Man.

"Who's you're friend over there?"

Mizuiro's eyes seemed to shine brighter, and the corner of his lips turned up slightly. "That's Keigo Asano. He doesn't do that well in school, but he's a pretty smart guy. Honest, loyal, what can I say, he's a hundred times better than me!"

"Whoa, slow down there puppy, your insults are overwhelming," I laughed teasingly. Oh, if only I could actually talk to him, this would have been fun.

Ichigo looked surprised at the boy's praise. "Wow, you're incredible."

Mizuiro gave a questioning look. "What?"

Ichigo shrugged and started unzipping the jacket of his uniform. I grinned, knowing where this was going.

"I mean, for someone to have so many nice things to say about his friend . . . that's pretty rare nowadays."

Ichigo kneeled to the ground, and I stood straight up by Mizuiro, who didn't seem to follow what he was saying.

"Mizuiro, how good are you at making up excuses?"

Without missing a beat, "I'm so good it's sick."

Ichigo smirked. "Alright then. You're gonna need to come up with something creative, 'cause we're going to need a story that's going to keep all of us from getting expelled." Chad fell into step with Ichigo.

"We're rescuing you're friend Keigo!"

* * *

o o o

* * *

The dojo was such a small place to Ichigo now. After years of learning, he walked into this place with a really good feeling today; it showed on his determined outlook as he faced Tatsuki.

The audience could feel the change today, unknown to the other two each student of the dojo, including the teacher, watched in awe and anticipation for someone to make their first move.

And it started.

Tatsuki made her first move, and Ichigo concentrated on his defense after dodging the first blow. I could see his own personal practicing out in the field of our back yard, how he spent hours memorizing Tatsuki's new skills and bending it into a style of his own; how he would wake at the crack of dawn with the air of a fighting warrior determined to learn how to protect the ones he loved . . .

Tatsuki wasn't at all off her game today, but she didn't expect the fight to last as long as it had. Kick, punch, block, retaliate; the two moved in sync, sometimes even so fast it was too much for my eyes to see. But Ichigo didn't back down today. No, two minutes turned into three, and then breaking out the record of five.

I glided into the far corner of their arena, watching for any sign of advantage, any change in the outcome of this battle that has only ever been one-sided -

Ichigo flew back and with an unexpected twist, his foot made harsh contact with Tatsuki chest.

She crumpled back onto the floor, a sickening crack emitting from the wood below.

All was silent. Ichigo wiped off the dripping sweat from his face and stood up straight. He slowly made his way to his opponent, and once reached, he stood still.

Tatsuki lifted her body up with her two hands. Ichigo stared her down, and both faces were twisted into what one could only call anger.

And then she grinned.

Tatsuki grinned and gave a hearty laugh that bellowed from her chest. Ichigo blinked in confusion, once . . . twice.

Finaly he smirked back and held out his hand for her to take.

Tatsuki was pulled onto her feet, and with another laugh she clasped a hand onto his shoulder.

"It took you long enough, Ichigo."

* * *

A/N: Haha! Finished! Yeah, sorry if the ending is a little sudden because of changing into a whole different, well, scene, but I couldn't find anywhere else to put it Dx And I'm still trying to get a hang on fight scenes, so sorry if it's still a bit sucky and stuff, I had to use a lot of reference, and it doesn't help that I don't know the exact type of style their learning in Ichigo's old dojo. So . . . yeah . . .

Anyways, please tell me what you think by a review! Please?


	12. 1

A/N: And so the quick _Among the Times of Childhood arc_. has been completed. Now we enter the _Agent of the Shinigami arc_, which will also be starting out in Angel's introductional POV before switching to a 3rd person POV. I have mentioned the possible POV changes in the begining of this story because it is needed.

I'm renaming the arcs to fit this story, and because it's fun, heeheehee.

BTW, Ichigo is 15 at the start of the _Bleach_'s timeline.

_**Special Thanks To:**_ I just love the pennames a lot of you guys use, most of them are so random, sometimes I wonder if there's a story behind them xD

**Runa22694:** Sorry for the super duper long update! .

**DarknessDevoursXIII (Chapters 1, 2 & 11):** Dear lord, you need to sleep more! Hahahaha!

**darkangel**

**Sleepycatz 16**

**StartingAtTheEnd:** The couple is going to be a surprise (Sort of, I guess, hahaha!)

**Lyllah (Chapter 1)**

**Lady-Fluffie: **asdhfjdrshgfuerhjgh Thank you! :)

**RLunatic78: **I'm sorry for the extremly long wait! I've been really lazy and haven't done anything but watch asian dramas for the past few weeks. I'll try not to make a habit of this, I'm so happy you like my story!

**Roza: **The pairings for this story is going to be a bit of a surprise . . . well . . . sort of, hahaha. And as for going along the story line . . . well, I have gotten the story up to a certain point, however, I might not write all the way through (Mainly because of the fillers *rolls eyes* which I'm skipping) the entire Bleach story line since it's really, really, long. I don't know, I'll have to see as we go.

**Kitty-Wolf-Chan:** Wow! Thank you SO much for reviewing every chapter you just read through even though it was already up to chapter eleven! Cookies for you! That's only happened to me once before and I had just about a heart attack this time like I did then! I'm surprised my story is one of those rare few to get you stumped, since you said that you can usually predict what will happen. That is my goal, though I try to give a little sense of what may happen in case some people aren't a big fan of major surprises (but I might fail on that part anyways, hahaha) I'm terribly sorry about the slow update, I've been a little lazy, not to mention me and my entire house (consisting of eight people) have been getting sick like so many others. Chad is awesome, isn't he? If I were in an anime such as this, I think your reaction would be a little better than mine, xD I'd probably find a tree to sit under in the fetal position and mutter to myself that I'd probably die. Or that I've gone insane. Looking forward to your future reviews! And again, thank you so much!

**darkangel:** Oh, the pairing is still a little undecided. I'm trying to figure it out, but I have a feeling of what I'm going to do with the romance for this Oc. But it's a secret, teehee. Happy (belated) christmas and new year!

**Shaybo27: **Oh it is no problem! I'm just glad you reviewed :) I hope you do (or did) well on your finals! Though from what I see, you might have no problem at all, hahaha and your guess for Angel and Ichigo having a semi-sweet moment was correct (at least, I think it'll be . . .) Anyways, there's going to be a season six of Merlin!? I keep hearing that the fifth season will be the last! This info really put my heart at ease! x_x I just about died when I heard it was going to end soon.

**Hayate The Soul Reaper: **Hahaha, yup, at last that scene is done xD Little known fact, angel _is_ a drama queen! Before dying her life was pretty normal (other than the whole Strings of Fate thing) and didn't include so much violence. Yay! You got the Uryu hint, :P I was wondering who would get their little first-meeting encounter. I think you're only the 2nd person to have gotten it. But more about him will come up later ^_-

**MonsterOnSweets:** Haha, yeah I've noticed that Keigo is never really calm during 'normal' moments xD

**Rinoreiri Murino Hitsuzen:** Ah, thank you, i was hoping it wouldn't be disappointing, since I've never really gotten into the whole action-fighting genre of writing yet. The first section of the chapter was from Bleach episode 227, describing Mizuiro's POV of their first day of school :) I'm glad you liked it!

**Scaehime-KingofKing's Daughter:** Haha, that does sound like a mouthful doesn't it? Good point . . . And yup! You guessed correctly, that was indeed Uryuu! And yes, Angel does have the metal band around her neck, which will sort-of be explained soon. And Happy Holiday's to you too!

**katchile94:** :3 Oooh, when Rukia comes into the picture, things will indeed be different for Angel.

**Bookgal7:** Haha! The moment all has been waiting for! I hope the Tatsuki being defeated scene wasn't too sucky _ Hopefully I'll get better at the fighting, but ah well.

_And another special thanks to _**PastaLovingHetaliaGeek**_for personally reminding me that it's been a while since I last updated xD_

* * *

**Death and All Her Friends arc.**

AWAKE  
1

"We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen,  
and we respect with every fiber that which cannot be explained."  
- Rukia Kuchiki, _Bleach_

The world suffers with every change that drops in it's supposed path. Fate has been known to be a being of life, with a spiritual form who punishes those who rip apart the fibers which it had sewn together. It is not a kind 'being' to those who dare mess with it.

The string connecting each and every living life form on the planet do not change colors. They do not break. They can, however, be cut - when Death arrives with it's boney fingers, weilding the scyth that will then run along that line which contains the pulsing being of a person's life.

So when people say that change is always good, that it is necessary for _everything_, it only goes to show how ignorant they are to the path set out in the universe for every **thing**, and every **one**. They do not understand the true consequences of interfering with what should never be changed.

Cause - and - effect.

The world where I came from was set on two paths that could stray easily in one way or the other. Unknown forces, and those who rebelled against their fate, usually tilted this scale of light and dark. My job was to keep the world in balance.

The smallest things can bring about such unwanted _change_. The drop of a pin; the flick of a quarter; the cut of a wire. World War II would be a great example of how important my job actually is, even though I was in such high 'numbers' as one of the children who could see the Red Threads of Fate. The person before me, the child who disrupted his or her destiny to keep the world in balance, failed in one tiny detail. Many lives paid for it.

I can't explain to you how the power begins to dwindle as we grow to be much, much older. And another child - a child who's mind was still filled with wonder, hope, and innocence - takes our place. It was like the circle of life.

_So how had I come to be here? _I asked myself every day. The parallel world that could only exist in the mind of some random human who had a talent for drawing and life-changing speeches was a world I was currently walking upon in my death.

It wasn't until a year later after I had arrived here that I came up with a theory - though it was only a theory, it set my mind at ease for a time. Maybe this world really did exist, and just like us children who were sensitive to the running of life around the world, other people were sensitive to the ways of life of _other _worlds - of _other _dimensions that ran parrallel to ours.

It didn't explain a lot, like how my interferance, or my mere presance, would change the course of what was set out before the boy, Ichigo Kurosaki. But it was all I had.

Cause - and - effect.

Cause: A very powerful force brought me from my world to this one, and I became a part of the life of a young boy who was destined to save this world.

Effect: . . . This still remains to be unknown.

* * *

~ x ~

* * *

It was a peaceful evening in Karakura Town.

"YOU GOT A DEATH WISH PAL?"

Correction. _Was_ a peaceful evening.

"Yeah! Nobody jumps one of our guys for no reason and lives to tell about it!"

Ichigo hummed, simply rubbing his head from the on-coming headache the thugs were beginning to form.

He was currently facing four teenagers around his age. The man with the loudest voice stepped up to him, his face twisted into that of anger.

"Is that all you've got to say?!" He boomed.

Angel leaned against the wooden electric pole, her arms crossed and a sigh escaping her lips. "You'd think I'd be used to Ichigo picking fights by now. But _no_, my faint, dead heart must ache everytime." She shook her head.

"Is he going to be all right?"

She looked down at the little girl, who hid behind Angel and ducked her head out of sight. Her hair was a light brown-color and held in high pigtails. Her outfit consisted of a white and pink striped tanktop and a pair of jean shorts. Her head barely reached Angel's elbows.

"He better be." She rubbed her forehead, "Yuzu will have another scream-fest if we're late for dinner again. Well, only because Karin might eat all of the food."

"Man, you're loud," Ichigo murmered.

"That's all you gotta say!?" The bulkier man rushed foreward, and Ichigo promptley stuck out his foot to meet the man's face. He fell to the ground with a loud _thump!_ before his face proceeded to get smashed into the ground.

"You're gonna kill him,"

Ichigo ignored his spirit friend and continued stomping on the man's face. When he stopped, he glared at the remaining three and pointed to the broken bottle of flowers by Angel's feet.

"Now listen up! Do you see that!?"

The men shook and took a step back.

"First question," Ichigo growled. "what do you think that is? YOU, the one in the middle, ANSWER."

The man standing between his two frightened friends cringed. "W-Wait! Uh, I . . . I guess somebody left those flowers for some kid who got killed here."

Ichigo smirked before suddenly kicking the man in the face. "Correct!"

"Whoa dude, chill out!"

"Take it easy now!"

He stuck his hands into his pockets and set his foot down.

"Now the next question: Why is it laying on it's side?"

The man with the dark funky hair spoke, "It must have . . . gotten run over when we were skate boarding through here."

This only seemed to make Ichigo angrier, hearing it out loud. And as he spun, he kicked both men to the ground ten feet ahead of him. Angel winced at the sickening crack emiiting from one of the man's arms and gave Ichigo a glare.

"You guy's catch on fast!" His eyes suddenly burned with a raging fire. "NOW GO AND APOLIGIZE OR ELSE THE FLOWERS WILL BE FOR YOU!"

"He's scary . . ." The child spirit shuddered. Angel patted the girl's head, happy for the faint contact, and smiled.

"Don't worry, he's a sweetie pie once you get to know him."

"Who are you calling a 'sweetie pie'!?" Ichigo suddenly screeched.

"No one, no one," she laughed. The girl came out from behind Angel as Ichigo set the broken bottle back to it's right position.

"There, those guys were so scared, they shouldn't be showing their ugly faces around here anytime soon."

"Thank you for coming to my defense . . . maybe now I can finally have some peace."

He gave a side grin and motioned his head down the direction of his home.

"We gotta go now, but I'll be back again tomorrow with some new flowers."

"What's you're name? You look kind of familiar . . ." Angel asked curiously. The girl shyly turned to the ground and shuffled her floating feet.

"My name is Mai . . . We . . . kind of met when we were younger . . ."

Ichigo looked taken aback. "We did?"

Mai nodded. "Yes, you saved me from that scary man a few years ago down the river. The one near the train tracks?"

Angel couldn't help but flashback to the times her and Ichigo went down by the river. It had been a while since they even went near it, especially since Ichigo decided he no longer needed to go to the dojo.

She suddenly snapped up. "Oh yeah! I remember you!"

Ichigo scratched his head, "Eeh,"

She quickly waved him off. "Sorry about him, his memory kind of sucks."

"Like you should be talking!" He snapped back, but was ignored.

Mai quickly shook her head and bowed in gratitude. "It's fine! It was so long ago! I'm really grateful for your help!"

Ichigo gave up at trying to remember the girl's face and started walking down the road.

"Well, it's the least I could do. Be sure to hurry and pass on. After all, you deserve to rest in peace."

* * *

x x x

* * *

Night was beginning to fall as they turned down their street. Angel sighed for the third time that day and flew on her stomach with her hand supporting her chin.

"Your dad is going to be mad," she giggled. Ichigo sweat-dropped.

"That's not my fault. You're the one who made us take the long way home."

"Hey! It was either that or encounter the three sets of gangs ready to pounce on you! But my efforts seemed to go to waste," Angel feigned sadness and wiped away a fake tear. "You decided to pick a fight anyway! You'd think I'd be used to this now . . . "

The boy sighed and shook his head, not bothering to comment on what Angel tried to take was pity. The reached their building and he slid the door open with ease.

"I'm home -"

"CHYAAA!"

He flew across the room.

"At least we know where you got you're obsession with kicking came from . . ." The spirit muttered as Mr. Kurosaki stood above Ichigo with a scowl.

"You let your guard down! Always stay alert when you enter a room and you're late for dinner again!"

Ichigo stuck his father up to his father, his teeth grinding and his eyes glaring.

"Are you kidding me!? Is this how you greet the son who just helped a spirit find peace?"

"Oh, so it's the ghost's fault now is it? Just because you see ghosts and I don't - I suppose it's Angel's fault too for leaving your room a mess!"

"What does Angel have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, maybe you would have used her as the excuse, even though I can clearly hear you arguing with her about your room being a total mess! At least SOMEONE in this house knows some kind of discipline!"

Angel sweat-dropped as the two males fought and slowly back away with her hands in front of her. With a final sigh, she slowly faded into the seat across from Karin.

_So glad I learned to do that,_ she thought to herself. Transporting herself from one place to another (as long as she could see it) really helped her, especially since Ichigo had a tendancy to run off too fast for her to keep up.

Karin merely ignored her older relatives and took another bite of her rice. Yuzu puffed out her cheeks, a habit she never seemed to grow out of.

"Would you two quit fighting! Get over here and eat your dinner!"

Karin held out her rice bowl. "Let them fight. More rice for me,"

"That's not very nice, Karin," Angel laughed.

Yuzu grinned and looked at the seemingly empty seat next to her. Her eyes were a slightly off at the figure she wished to see, but somehow, she knew Angel was there.

"Oh, is Angel here?"

Karin nodded, her eyes never opening as she played with the grains of rice with her chopsticks.

"She's been here for a while."

"That's so not fair," Setting the wooden rice scooper down on the cooker, Yuzu leaned back into her seat and frowned. "You are so lucky to be able to see ghosts. I can only sense their presence sometimes, but that's about it."

Karin kept her expression nonchalant and turned in her seat. Ichigo had just kicked their father down onto the floor and complain about his seven o'clock curfew.

"I don't see why you make such a big deal out of ghosts. I don't even believe in them."

Her sister gasped. "Karin, how could you say that? You see and talk to Angel all day and she's a ghost!"

With the wave of her hand, Karin set herself back straight and looked at her half-eaten food. "I'm in permanent denial. Angel is forced to be an exception, and that's only because she's the only sane one in this house. If it weren't for her, I don't know what I would be doing right now with those two loons breaking the furniture all day."

Angel tilted her head, though grateful that Karin still gives her the time of day (unlike the days when she was much younger), she still didn't understand.

"How could you not believe in ghosts?"

She shrugged. "Just because I can see ghosts, doesn't mean I believe in them."

Angel could almost feel the ice-cold rejection blizzard pass right through her. ". . . That's cold, man."

Ichigo slid over to the table and looked at the bowl set out for him, always next to Angel's usual seat. "Like my dinner."

"YOU DROPPED YOUR GUARD AGAIN!"

A socked foot slid right over the orange hairs of Ichigo's head, and with a fed up growl, he grabbed his father's ankle and threw him across the living room.

"DAMN IT, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

". . . no charge for the lesson," his father coughed out.

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and turned to leave. "Forget it, I'm not hungry. I'll be upstairs, you coming, Ang?"

* * *

x x x

* * *

Angel sat with her legs crossed, her body hovering in the air and her elbow resting on her knee with her chin in that hand.

"You're very irritable today, don't you think?" She asked.

Ichigo didn't say anything at first, instead he slipped off his school bag and set it on his desk chair. It was different compared to the small wooden one had had since he was six, now that he had grown. It was roundish, with soft dark padding, and spun around with wheels on the bottom.

"I'm just tired," he said. She dropped to the ground and sat on the bed he lay on.

"Are you sure?"

He shrugged and set his hands behind his head.

"Something just seems off today, I'm fine."

_"Oh my dear wife! Maybe it's because they're hitting puberty, but our daughters are being so cold to me! What do I do? What do I do?"_

_"For starters, you might want to take down that poster!"_

She could hear the voices of Karin and Mr. Kurosaki downstairs. With another glance at Ichigo Angel rose an eyebrow. "You mean more off than usual? Because your family is acting as weird as they've always been."

* * *

x x x

* * *

Angel was sitting in front of the television when Ichigo walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" Yuzu greeted from her place by the stove. Karin was once again in her usual spot on the table, finishing off the last of her omelet.

"Where's Dad?" He asked.

"He had a meeting. So he should be home early tonight with more paperwork."

The toast was still warm when Ichigo grabbed it off the breakfast bar. Sticking it in his mouth, he saw Angel staring at the TV, her lips turned into a deep frown and her brow pushed together in what looked to be worry.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She turned and floated by his side. He looked at the TV curiously, the piece of toast still hanging out of his mouth.

_"The incident occured around Karakura station at around 12:20 AM. Witnesses report of hearing a loud crash and feeling the ground shake beneath their feet."_

"That's near here." He muttered. Angel hid behind his back and peared over his shoulder at the TV.

"It doesn't even seem like an explosion. Look at the walls."

He bent closer to get a better look. The live camera was scanning the destroyed street, a large hole in the ground was crumbling in the surrounding walls, and the buildings had smashed in windows.

But among the side of the buildings, ragged lines, drawn in perfect unison, scraped across in sections of four.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"It looks worse up close," Angel commented as the passed the wreckage. Ichigo said nothing, instead just checking his bag for the new vase of flowers he purchased. They turned a corner, and suddenly she froze. Ichigo paused mid-step.

The spirit shuddered, looking around with an expression of worry before shaking her head.

"Hey, Ang, what's the matter?"

She didn't seem to pay attention, instead, with her feet hovering above the ground, she glided forward.

"Something's wrong . . ." She muttered to herself.

"Angel?" Ichigo called out again. The girl snapped out of her trance, looking up at Ichigo and gliding up a couple more inches to meet his height.

"What?"

"You said that something was wrong. Are you okay?"

She looked confused for a moment before blinking quickly. "Oh!" She gasped. "It's nothing, really."

Ichigo wasn't convinced. Just like how Angel observed him over the years, knowing his every expression and every tick, he knew her body language just as well. The way she automatically covered half of her hands with her sleeves, and then proceeded to knock her wrists together in an odd fashion, was an something she did when she was nervous, but didn't know what to make of something.

His eyes narrowed, but as he opened his mouth to say something -

A deafening roar had Angel covering her ears in fright. Ichigo snapped forward, following the loud cry until a large crash sent him turning down another corner.

"What the hell?" he gasped. Large cracks formed into the ground, bringing the monsterious creature to their attention as it rose from the smoke and debris.

"Whoa, what the hell is that?"

"Help!" A voice screamed; Angel recognized the voice of Mai, the spirit girl from the day before. She ran from the smoke, the creature in quick persuit, and watched as it reached its mangley claws behind her.

Ichigo growled as the girl cried out for help once more; he took a step forward, determined to stop the monster -

Angel watched as a black butterfly fluttered passed her nose. Somone in black robes fell from the sky, and with the swish of her arm, the sword in her hand sliced across the white, crumbling mask of the giant creature.

She recognised the person to be a girl; with short black hair and wearing odd black robes. She landed gracefully in front of them and sheathed her sword. Another chill ran up Angel's spine, and she instinctivley took a step back.

The girl barely gave a side glance before walking away and disappearing.

The path ahead of them cleared, and with a dumbfounded look, Ichigo ignored the muttering of the beginning crowd and looked on ahead.

"What was that?" he asked himself. Angel bit her lip, unsure of what to make of the situation.

_Has it begun?_

* * *

x x x

* * *

"Hey, Angel, who's this?" Karin asked as the spirit teen glided into the kitchen, Mai close behind her. She peered curiously at the young ghost girl, who hid behind Angel and grasping onto her back - her touch light and feathery.

Angel hesitated, wondering if it were best to leave out the morning's events with that weird monster and that oddly-dressed girl. She nodded to herself.

"This is Mai," she began, giving a pointed look at the spirit. "She's a . . . friend. And is a little frightened, is it alright if she hung out for a while?"

Karin rose an eyebrow, barely acknowledging the girl's mutter of not wishing to impose, and plopped herself in front of the television. "Whatever."

Angel sighed, for once being thankful of Karin's careless attitude about ghosts and smiled at Mai.

"You should be safe here for now, just in case there were any more of those monsters." and then she paused. "What _was _that thing anyway? And why was it chasing you?"

Mai shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen it before."

"Well, whatever it was, it's dead now."

Angel hovered gracefully above her usual side of the couch - opposite of where Karin was sitting. Ichigo had headed upstairs, and though she wanted to follow, she felt that it would have been better to stay downstairs and just keep Mai some company.

"So, you just stay around here . . . in this house with that boy?" Mai asked, cautiously eyeing Karin who blatantly ignored her presence.

The older spirit nodded. "Yup. Been quite a few years now . . ." she tilted her head. "Wow, it has been a long time."

"But why?"

She shrugged, wondering just how to answer that question. "Why not?"

With an internal sigh, Angel rubbed the side of her head. How could you explain to another ghost that you seemed to disappear when distanced from a certain living person?

"Ichigo kicked Daddy so hard . . ." Isshin cried as he tumbled down the stairs. Yuzu patted his head softly as Angel just rolled her eyes.

"You'd think he'd learn after getting beat for the hundreth time not to disturb Ichigo in his room, like seriously."

"Agreed," Karin muttered. "You reap what you sow, Dad." She suddenly snapped her head to the far wall.

"What the hell is that!?" She jumped from the couch and crouched defensivly.

A deafening roar, much like the one Angel had heard earlier in the street, broke out before she could say anything. Her body suddenly felt heavy, like an unknown force was shoving her down, and she covered her ears from the splitting headache the loud noise was making.

She cursed silently to herself, her eyes widening as blood suddenly splurted out from Isshin Kurosaki's back.

* * *

x x x

* * *

A voice screamed from downstairs.

"ANGEL!"

Ichigo glared at the shinigami from his place on the ground. His hands were bound behind his back by some sort of spell this she-demon had placed on him, and now he couldn't move. The little brat - clothed in black robes with dark hair spiking at the ends around her neck - was named Rukia, and after all the nonsense she sputtered out to him, he couldn't be more angry with her.

"Goddamn it! You - who do you think you are!? That's my family down there, I told you something was coming! Unbind me! Right now!"

"Impossible," the shinigami merely muttered, slamming open the bedroom door. "This spiritual pressure . . . how could I not have sensed it before?"

"Ichi . . . go . . ."

"Karin!"

His sister collapsed to the ground, trails of blood dripping down the sides of her face.

"Good . . . it hasn't come here . . . s-suddenly . . . blood started pouring out of daddy's back . . . and Yuzu collapsed . . Angel . . . something - it has Angel!" She coughed.

"I could see it so clearly . . . but Yuzu and Daddy couldn't see it . . . Ichigo, you have to save her . . ."

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed as Karin finally fell unconcious. Rukia checked to make sure the human was okay before turning with a warning glance.

"She's fine! Her soul is still - hey! Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

Ichigo struggled to stand, his hands still bound by the invisible forced and her cursed again multiple times. "Release me!" he shouted, more to the binding than the shinigami.

"Stop it!" Rukia warned. "It is impossible to release that incantation with mere human power! If you try to force it you will-"

"SHUT IT!"

She shook from the sudden volume in the boy's force.

_He needs to stop wasting his breath!_ she thought angrily. _There's no way he can-_

Ichigo yelled, straining his arms and willing his body to move with all his might. No, nothing would stop him. That _thing_ downstairs attacked his family! That monster would not live to see the light of another day!

Rukia gasped. _Wha-What is he!?_

* * *

o o o

* * *

**Angel**

_Cho-choking . . . I gasped for air, but something stopped me._

"Reed . . . _fffmmm _. . ."

I shoved the pillow out of my face, only to be met with a close up of Reed's as I caught my breath.

"The heck-Reed...REED?" I stuttered, though I wouldn't get a response from the sleeping girl. I sighed and reached to the bedside table to turn on the lamp.

My vision was instantly hazed with the familiar red lines I had seen all my life, so with a shake of my head I ignored their presence and sighed.

Reed was sleeping in my bed again. She lay there, sprawled out, nose twitching every so often, in her sky blue, rainbow-patterned pajamas.

By the scrambled sheets and the forgotten blanket left on the floor by her own bed on the other side of the room, I knew immediatly that she had another nightmare. It was a common thing that happened a few times a week. Reed would get a nightmare and crawl into my bed, seeking my comfort, but not wishing to wake me up at the same time. My mom no longer found it unusual to see one empty bed in the morning, because she would find Reed curled under me instead.

With all that room she could take on my bed, she just had to kick off the blankets and bury herself into my side at the edge. I rolled my eyes with an amused smile. What a brat.

It had been happening since we were young, so I was already used to it.

I loud thump caught my attention, and looking at my alarm clock, I wondered just who could be up and about at midnight.

Carefully, as not to wake up Reed, I slipped out from under the sheets and put on my robe. I stepped out the door, noticing my parents bedroom light on.

I was about to knock, wondering if something was wrong, until something stopped me.

"School for Gifted Children? That crazy school in Florida? You're bringing that up _now_?" My mother's voice. She did not sound happy. I tilted my head, going against my better judgment and listening in.

"It's not like they're going to use her as a lab rat, sweetheart! I think it would be good for her, and even us! We can't fully understand how her abilities work, these people can help her!" My dad, he sounded more . . . desperate.

"She doesn't _need_ help! How could you even think of such a thing - I can take care of my own child without some crazy people's help! We can figure it out on our own!"

"Yeah, and what are you going to do when something happens? What are you going to do if her abilities increase and she doesn't even know what to do with herself? What are you going to do if _they_ get her?"

"The Company have no idea where we are. We have been here for _TEN. YEARS._ We can't just send her off to some place, what if they find her?"

Send her off? Who? Me?

I furrowed my brow. They're speaking of someone, someone who is their child and has strange abilities they don't understand.

Me? Are they talking about me? It's the only explanation.

"This school is safe. I've already spoken to them - and before you blow up on me about doing this without you, just hear me out!"

I could here my father take a deep breath. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. Send me off to some special school? What special school? For kids with abilities like me? Why? WHo are we running from?

Who is _The Company_?

Why haven't I ever heard of this before?

"She won't have to leave immediatly. It's usually around the age of sixteen that they begin attending, that's four years away. She's only twelve, but she's already they'll do is keep tabs on her, to see how she's doing and how well her abilities develope. They've dealt with children like her before, and are very aware of how The Company works. It's not just one school in Florida. They have several scattered around the globe, so if anything happens, they can relocate."

A moment of silence. I can imagine my mother's face when things like this happen - that face of worry, the way her aged lips tilted into the smallest of frowns, but her eyes glimmering with tears she refused to release - she never cried. She refused it. But her face would still break out with red splotches, and her nose would stuff up as she held her breath.

"Then what about Reed? Those two are inseperable - sending her other half away from us, away from _her_ . . . it'll break her heart!"

My dad sighed again. "That can't be together forever. And I'm sure they'll be old enough to understand when the time comes, we still have four years to get them prepared."

Another moment of silence. My mothers quiet sniffles could be heard through the cracked door, and I gulped.

"I don't like this," she whispered, just barely loud enough for me to hear. "I don't like this at all."

"It's for the best," Dad said. "She'll be safe, and Reed can live on with a normal life."

It finally clicked into my head. My face, too shocked to show any emotion, stayed still, but confused.

They're going to send me away. People are looking for us - looking for _me_ - and so they're going to send me away. Away from Reed, away from our peaceful life here in Utah.

I didn't hear the footsteps coming towards the door, and suddenly a flash of light burned my eyes as my father opened it.

His eyes widned, and he looked at a loss for words. I just stood there, blinking, as if still processing what I had just heard. He called my name out in question, but his voice rang deaf to my ears. I didn't know what to say, and I wasn't worried that I was just caught listening in on my parent's conversation. I was to oupset, I really didn't know what to say.

So without any real expression, I looked into my father's eyes and said quietly . . .

"Reed had a nightmare again . . ."

* * *

o o o

* * *

My vision hazed, another bright, white light bringing me back into my present state of mind.

It was rare that I had flashbacks, and I wondered briefly why that particular one came to me now of all times: the day my life truly changed forever. I saw the world differently since then, and I spent every waking moment with an oblivious Reed at my side. She didn't know - neither I, nor my parents, told her of our seperated fate when our dreaded sixteenth year was to come. I was still learning of my abilities, so of course I didn't know that my life was going to be cut short two years before our official seperation.

Hopefully now, my family was safe. Wherever, whenever they were.

_"ANGEL!"_ a familiar voice called my new name. I was snapped out of my thoughts, and suddenly my face twisted into that of pain. That sufficating feeling I felt before was caused by my body being crushed by . . . by . .

Okay, it was weird enough that I was feeling _pain_, but the fact that a large, creature-like thing was looking at me, his head ducked down to my level, was a bit to much for my freak-out meter.

"Oh, hell," I squeaked, my lungs constricting painfully.

A white mask made of a chalky-like substance stared at me, with two black holes for eyes. I felt sick, the fear I felt then seeming to hurt worse than the physical pain being inflicted upon me.

The pain wasn't anything normal. It wasn't a crushing feeling one would expect when being held in the clawed, marble hands of a giant monster. It was a feeling that felt more like an extreme case of uncomfort, it was suffocating, but my dead body could have no other reaction to it other than wishing it could truly die and give way.

My vision blurred in and out. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move -

Ichigo gave a battle cry, grabbing something that looked to be a metal folding chair and charging toward the large creature holding me.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ I chanted, wishing to yell out to the idiot boy for trying to do something reckless once again.

_Run! Leave! Take your family and get as far away from here as you can! Forget about me! I'm already dead!_

. . . I'm already dead.

"Idiot," I spat. I'm already dead Ichigo, why are you trying to save me?

_"Let go of her!" _Ichigo's voice was faint in my ears. I couldn't cry - the dead couldn't cry. But if I could, I'm sure I'd be a sobbing, screaming mess by now.

"Get out of here, please!" I managed to beg, but he couldn't hear me, my voice was too soft.

Ichigo charged, metal chair in hand -

Only to be knocked to the side. He was flung away like a nothing!

"Yes, attack the giant monster with a chair, THAT'LL WORK!" Oh sure, in times of being mad and needing to let out my sarcasm, I'm able to shout. How nice.

"Angel! Are you alright?" Ichigo yelled. By this time, my racing heart managed to calm itself enough for me to try and think more clearly.

"Oh I'm FINE. Just sort of, you know, suffocating, but other than that, I'M DAMN PEACHY."

_"ENOUGH WITH THE COMMON CHIT-CHAT, I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" _the creature laughed, and it's voice sent me into a small state of shock. It was rough, laced with several tones of voices like a true monster's would be. It's hand tightened around my spirit body and I let out a cry of pain.

"You fool!" Another voice shouted, and I managed to catch sight of someone else jump into the scene.

"Do you really think you're any match for a hollow?!"

I didn't know who this was, but I could tell it was a woman, and this fact tugged at a faint memory of my brain.

_"Eh! I don't like Rukia's new hairstyle!" _Reed whined, staring at a picture on her laptop. I curiously leaned over the bed, seeing a serious-faced anime girl with a sword at her side. Her full head of hair was short, ending at the nape of her neck, with big round eyes and strands of her bangs hanging over the bridge of her nose. I recognized her from several comics and pictures on my facebook. _Bleach_ is a pretty popular manga/anime, so the official MangaFox page posted images of it now and then.

And that was all I saw before my world blackened once again. The creature wasn't happy by its lack of attention, and unknowingly worsoned that discomforting, suffocating feeling it gave me as it tightened it's fist.

Snippets of voices that muffled in my ears, cries of pain, and shouts of anger were all I was able to make out.

But I'll never forget that last image I saw before finally giving into the darkness, and letting my body give way to unconciousness.

Ichigo held that woman's blade to his stomach, her body slouched against streetlight as she spoke to him. He gave a damned smirk, with a fiery determination in his eyes that I knew all to well.

Taking a hold of the sword's handle, he stabbed himself right into his body.

I let out a last, unnecessary breath.

_Finally. . . his story has begun . . ._

* * *

A/N: *dodges knives and bankai attacks*

I AM SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE . . . AGAIN!

I was dealing with writer's block, and then I got lazy, and the next thing I know, three months had passed! I AM SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE A HABIT OF THIS!

Really! I am sorry! Especially since I left you with a cliff hanger like that!

PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

I promise, promise, PROMISE, to try and do better!

But! On the plus side, _**I made a picture of Angel! **_It's not my best work (the hair is in her eyes too much) so I'm probably going to remake it, but be sure to check it out! It's on my facebook page, the link is on my profile.

I even put a little 'easter egg' in there in light of the upcoming holiday, so be sure to check it out. It might have a little clue! (pertaining to her name, perhaps? Hahaha)

For those who want to see the picture, but for some reason can not access Facebook (like, if your parents don't allow you), be sure to message me and we can figure out a way to make it viewable for you!

**And another side note: **I did not read over this, because I kinda just want to get it out of the way and posted. So inform me of any mistakes and where, and I'll go back and fix it. Especially on my spelling . . . my spelling is horrible.


	13. 2

A/N: I just realized I haven't updated since march . . . Holy crap I'm so sorry . . .

Okay, so I did read over the last chapter after it was posted and found a lot of mistakes (like putting 'the' instead of 'they', and forgetting words) so I really do apologize for that! In your review, please do not hesitate to correct me on anything! Be it grammar or spelling - any suggestion to keep this from becoming really cliche is welcome too! Not saying I'll always take it, but knowing what you think really does help my writing! Every review counts, and I take each and every one to heart, so please tell me what you think!

_**Special Thanks To:**_

**Scaehime-KingofKing's Daughter:** Eheh, heh . . . I think it's more like, saying sorry once doesn't seem enough, especially since the update took forever. Thank you for your review, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm hoping no one will mind the change in canon, but I'm keeping the basic storyline on track. Hopefully, lol

**Runa22694:** I KNOW! *screams with you*

**Blackenflames:** Really? I'm glad :)

**Guest:** That is very scary, because that was almost exactly what I'm doing! I'm still working out the details, and I'm not going to kill her off (I put that poor family through enough as it is, lol) but that was the exact reason I made the two's preferances the way they are xD

**MonsterOnSweets**

**Ducky the Insomniac Panda**

**Abby-Flourite**

**devil4y**

**animagirl:** Bwahahaha, cliffys are my specialty! Bwahahahaha!

**nothing new in this world:** Ah, I wish I could update every three days at least, but I find that writing along a plot blocks me for some reason T_T;; \

**darkangel**

**Shaybo27:** Ha! Great job! Ugh, Netflix takes forever to update there series! *sad face* I wonder why they're ending Merlin so soon? Maybe it's just that time, I have to admit it's pretty good with where it goes and everything. I wonder if they make like, I future scene with the older Merlin? Hmm . . . Well, anyways, tell your cat . . . uh . . . thanks? Hahahaha!

**TenraiTsukiyomi**: Hahaha, I'm loving all of your questions! Most of which I have to respond to: You'll have to wait and see~! AS for fitting Angel into the story, it did indeed take a lot of thinking and processing and watching the first 60 or 80 something episodes a couple of times before getting most of the details of what I want to do straight. Don't worry, Angel isn't going to be left totally out of the loop: You also have to remember, that with a new influence comes new changes, thus leaving the question, "How will Angel change the course of 'time'?" New things may arrive, some may not, but what will be what, I wonder? Teeheehee

CONGRATS TO _**RAINBOW R **_FOR BEING MY 100TH REVIEWER. HONESTLY, I NEVER THOUGHT THE STORY WOULD MAKE IT THIS FAR WITH SUCH AMOUNT OF CHAPTERS :D

Now, I've been thinking about doing a segment like this, so I want to know how it goes. Starting now, every 50th reviewer gets a fanfiction prize! Ask me any question pertaining to the story you have reviewed, and it can be anything! Spoilers, future events, or even background info on the OC character that may or may not be put into the story! Ask anything!

Ah-ah, there's a catch though. The one thing I will not answer is *dum-dum-duuuum* ANGEL'S REAL NAME.

HAHA, GOT YA THERE DIDN'T I?

Let the games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor - hahaha!

* * *

AWAKE  
2

"When you're little, you like to think you know everything, but the last thing you really want is to know too much. What you really want is for grown-ups to make the world a safe place where dreams can come true and promises are never broken. And when you're little, it doesn't seem like a lot to ask." - Allie Keys, _Taken_

"Odd . . ."

Ichigo had collapsed from exhaustion just a few feet away, the rise and fall of his back being the only indication of his life. Rukia curiously crawled to the unconscious spirit, her body face down on the concrete and noting the lack of Hollow markings that were usually left on any creature after such attack. But this girl, the one the boy had called 'Angel' . . . she was different. There was something about her that . . .

Rukia instinctively backed away, frowning now that she noticed the girl's spiritual energy - it gave her a feeling she had never felt before. Something . . . _foreign_, _unidentified._ Was this possible?

"You can't touch her," a voice called out from a short distance.

Angel stirred, her one eye opening only to see a foot with a wooden sandal emerge from the night fog.

* * *

x x x

* * *

"It's AMAZING no one was hurt!" Angel yelled sarcastically, watching as Mr. Kurosaki laughed loudly at the wreckage that was the side of their home.

"A truck plows right into our house and none of us gets so much as a single scratch!"

"What's even more amazing is that none of us even woke up when it happened!" Yuzu exclaimed, her eyes shining in excitement. As usual, she was clad in her bright yellow apron with a soup ladle in her hand.

Ichigo had a dumbfounded look on his face, at a loss for words from the confusion he was suddenly overcome with. He nearly went cross-eyed trying sort out his thoughts as Angel tilted her head.

"So . . . we nearly get eaten by a giant monster and a _truck plowing through the dining room_ was the explanation?" Angel asked quietly, only loud enough for Ichigo to hear.

Karin, who had been previously quiet about the entire scene, subconsciously rubbed her left shoulder. "This seems . . . wrong. Did a truck really do all of this?"

Ichigo slowly turned, inspecting yet again his unharmed family. The only one who didn't seem to buy the truck story was Karin.

"They're all healed and have no memory of last night. Was this the work of that soul reaper?" he asked. Angel shrugged.

That morning, Ichigo had awoke in his bed, his mind swimming with more questions than answers after the attack-wake-up call his father had given him. With a short talk with Angel, he learned that she didn't remember much after blacking out - but she was spooked by the amount of pressure around her body from that creature's hands. It had been years since she had felt any sort of physical pain, or emotional trauma after fearing for her own non-existing life.

Afterwards, she had asked Ichigo about the black kimono girl she had seen with him earlier, thus delving him into a series of explanations about what he had learned that night.

Angel sighed at the memory. Though she knew this day would come, it still gave her an uneasy feeling of helplessness. Not only was she unable to protect herself, but she wouldn't be able to really help Ichigo in anything. Is it possible that she was now going to be a burden? Seeing as she is now open for attack against those things called _hollows_ . . .

She was unusually quiet as the two headed to school, thinking of these problems.

"Hey, Ang, are you alright?" Ichigo stopped, turning back around to face the young spirit. Angel shook her head of the depressing thoughts and grinned back.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're not hurt are you? That thing attacked you last night, are you really okay?"

She scoffed, crossing her arms and legs in mid-air. "Please, Bambi, as if _I_ could get hurt! You kicked that thing's ass anyways."

He rose an eyebrow. _Bambi _was a short-lived nickname Angel had given him in his childhood and was now only used when the girl was lying. But she seemed dead set on seeming okay, and so decided to drop it.

Well, sort of.

Walking on, Ichigo slung his school bag over his shoulder and shoved a hand in his pocket.

"If you're worried about one of those hollows coming after you again, don't be." he said. She looked at him questioningly. But Ichigo didn't give away a glance.

"Like you said, I'm going to kick the thing's ass anyway."

Letting out a bit of choked laughter, Angel swung her hands behind her back and pretended to bump shoulders with him.

"You promise?" she asked, her voice calm and serene.

Stopping shortly, Ichigo turned his head and gave a wide, devilish smirk, before walking on ahead.

Angel stood there for a good three seconds. She puffed out her cheeks and let out an irritated roar; stomping her feet in the air and waving out her arms.

"Errrg! I _hate _that stupid smirk of yours!"

* * *

x x x

* * *

Angel flew-skipped merrily, something that only happened when she was really, really, happy - and was also something she did every time Ichigo headed to class. He blanched at her cheeriness, knowing exactly why she was so happy.

_Chad_, he thought grimly. She could get very creepy once the "Mexican-Japanese hottie" (her words, not his) came into her line of sight.

Internally he shivered in discomfort.

"Please stop," he muttered. Angel stuck out her tongue, ignoring his command.

Ichigo turned a corner and felt someone crash into him.

"Ow!" the girl crashed to the ground, her books scattering.

"Oh, it's you. Hey Orihime."

"Seriously Ichigo!? You knock her down and that's all you've got to say!?" Angel yelled with a glare. Ichigo took a step back, because Tatsuki had popped out of nowhere and had said the same thing.

"I raised you better than that," the spirit fumed.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" He kneeled to gather the fallen books and handed them to their owner.

"Are you alright?"

Orihime shook slightly and nodded. "U-Uh, yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry about it! Heh, heh . . ." she took her things gratefully, but refused the offered hand and sped off.

Angel rose an eyebrow as the girl took off.

"What's with her?"

"You're scary face scared her off!"

He glowered at the spirit, who, as usual, stuck her tongue out - but adding a very unattractive face along with it.

"Shut up!"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes, watching as Ichigo argued with an empty space of air. She should have been used to this by now - no matter how many times Ichigo brushed off his odd antics, he always gave in to fighting whatever irritable 'being' was bothering him, thus causing him to shout at someone no one could see. She had long given up asking Ichigo about this, and so with a deep breath, she turned and began walking off in the direction her friend had gone.

_Being his weirdo self as usual,_ she thought.

"I helped her pick up her damn books! So stop nagging me, Shortie!"

"_Excuse_ me? SHORTIE? I MAY BE THIS SMALL BECAUSE OF MY DEATH AT A YOUNG AGE BUT I AM _FIVE_ YEARS OLDER THAN YOU! DON'T LET MY TINY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD BODY FOOL YOU IF MY HANDS WOULDN'T GO STRAIGHT THROUGH YOUR NECK I'D STRANGLE YOU!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY! FOURTEEN IS FOURTEEN! WHICH MAKES _ME_ OLDER THAN _YOU_!"

"YEAH, BECAUSE ONE YEAR MAKES YOU SOOOO MATURE, YOU BIG BABY! I STILL HAVE TO FIGHT TO MAKE YOU GET OUT OF BED BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO LISTEN TO YUOR ALARM CLOCK! AND THEN YOU WHINE THE ENTIRE MORNING BECAUSE YOU STAYED UP LATE THE NIGHT BEFORE!"

"UNLIKE YOU I HAVE TO ACTUALLY STUDY BECAUSE I STILL GO TO SCHOOL! I DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF FLOATING AROUND GHOST-MOLESTING ALL THE GUYS IN MY CLASS!"

"Kurosaki, would you like to explain to me why you are yelling in the hallway - much less, yelling at someone who isn't even there?"

The two froze, and with a horrified face, Ichigo turned to face his PE teacher.

* * *

x x x

* * *

Angel crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks in a fashion much like younger Ichigo's when he was angry.

"I don't ghost-molest all the guys in your class . . ." she muttered.

"Shut up, Ang. It's your fault I'm in this mess!" Ichigo fumed, crossing his arms as the PE instructor lectured him about being on time for school and yelling at inanimate objects or beings that aren't even there.

"And because you apparently don't have enough friends to yell at, and choose instead to yell at the wall, considering yourself introduced to your new friend, Rukia."

"Yeah well I - wait, what?" the two teens froze, before slowly turning to see the door open and someone walk in. She was short, around Angel's height, with black hair spiking at her shoulders and a strand resting comfortably between her eyes.

"Hello! I'm Rukia Kuchiki! You must be Ichigo, right?"

The teacher cleared his throat. "You're going to be giving our new transfer student a friendly tour around the school."

"SHE'S BACK!" ANgel shouted in horror, hiding behind the Ichigo. Rukia not held her hand out for him to take, the writing on the palm reading out:

_Play along or you're dead! :)_

* * *

A/N: This is a lot, lot, LOT shorter than I wanted. Buuuut, I really wanted to update soon because I didn't realize how long it had been since I had last. Sorry -_-;; This chapter sort of feels like a filler since not very much had went on. I had hoped updates would be more frequent now that my family and I are settled into our new place, but watching four-six kids under the age of ten during the weekdays is really exhausting, by the time they head home I just want to sleep, lol Oh well, you gotta love'em, hahaha

Review~ You know you want too~!


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